Hundreds of staff at the University of Brighton including cleaners, administrators, library, catering and security workers will begin strike action this week in a dispute over pay, says UNISON.
The workers, some of the lowest paid in the higher education sector, will walk out today (Thursday) and Monday (17) after rejecting a 3% pay award from the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA).
Staff had asked for a pay increase 2% above the rate of inflation, the union says.
With inflation running at almost 10% and further increases likely, the award amounts to a significant pay cut. The wage rise is a long way behind the cost-of-living pressures squeezing household budgets, says UNISON.
UNISON members at the University of Brighton are taking part in action with colleagues from over 20 universities across the UK who are staging a series of strikes over different dates.
UNISON South East regional organiser Louise Barter said: “Low pay has been a massive, and growing, problem in the university sector for upwards of a decade.
She said:
“Staff have become expert at stretching their pay to make ends meet. But the shock of the cost-of-living crisis has pushed many to breaking point.
“It’s always a difficult decision to strike but staff feel they’ve been left with no choice. A 3% pay award is nowhere near enough and the employers know it. This ludicrously low increase does nothing to ease the financial pressures for thousands of struggling staff.
“Universities and UCEA must put people before profits and pay staff fair wages. Otherwise, they’ll leave and look for better paid, less stressful jobs.”
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