Mary Finch, Unison rep, personal capacity
Strikes get results! That’s been proven again by the improved offer for higher education workers.
After the historic national University and College Union (UCU) strike of academic staff, jointly with professional services staff in Unison, we’ve been offered a pay rise of 4-6% for most members in 2023-2024. Not only that, but the University and Colleges Employers Association has offered to implement part of the pay rise early in February, with the rest to come as usual in August.
Unison and UCU members in universities have been taking action over below-inflation pay rises for almost a year. Our bosses are clearly feeling the effect of the disruption.
In 2021-2022, we were given a tiny 1.5% pay rise. After several rounds of strike action, the offer in 2022-2023 was double, at 3%. This is now the second time that the university bosses have doubled their pay offer – and implementing a pay rise early is unprecedented.
6% is still far below inflation, however, and only for 2023-2024. They have not made an improved offer on the 3% increase that was imposed in 2022-2023. UCU and Unison do not accept that pay negotiations for 2022-2023 are finished with. We’re fighting for a better pay offer this year and an improved backdated offer.
UCU has already announced another 18 days of strike action, including 1 February.
Under the existing anti-trade union laws, unions need to reballot for strike action every six months. Unison’s current strike mandate will run out in February. Unison should urgently begin campaigning nationally to mobilise members for the reballot, and build for another round of strikes, focusing on branches that almost met the threshold in previous ballots.
Unison members at only 20 universities took strike action before Christmas. It’s a tiny proportion of our actual membership. This isn’t because members don’t want to strike – branches have struggled to meet the Tories’ undemocratic requirement for a 50% turnout.
But even with only 20 branches taking action, we’ve managed to force the employers to increase from a 1.5% to 6% pay rise. If we keep growing the dispute, we can keep winning more!
