Mary Finch, Unison member
Universities are facing a financial crisis. Tory and now Labour governments have slashed funding to higher education, and now the bosses at several universities are passing on these attacks to workers. Many jobs are at risk.
Unison members – non-academic staff, from security to admissions – have been on strike several times after well-below-inflation pay offers. But it’s not just about pay. We were striking for better working conditions, reduced workloads, and closing pay gaps.
Members were balloted again earlier this year. Despite 75% voting to reject the 2024-25 pay offer, only a small number of branches reached the 50% turnout required by Tory anti-union laws – so far disgracefully retained by Labour. Unison’s higher education (HE) leadership decided not to call these branches out on strike.
2022 was the first time many Unison members in HE had taken national strike action in around ten years. There are many active, organised branches around the country fighting for their members in the local workplace. But we urgently need to rebuild the momentum for a coordinated, national fightback. Taking strike action, even with only a small number of branches, would be an important step towards this.
Another step towards this would be coordinating action with the University and College Union (UCU). Standing on a picket line can be a huge confidence boost to workers because it proves who really keeps the workplace running. By striking together, UCU and Unison members could shut down entire universities.
UCU action has already won concessions at Cardiff University, where 400 academic jobs were at risk. Determined joint action can firmly defeat these attacks and win the funding needed for a real pay rise for all.
