One of over 60 universities across the country taking part in an 8 day strike

Dr Jo Grady, General Secretary of the University and College Union (UCU), the trade union representing 43.500 academic staff, was at the University of Roehampton yesterday, (27 November), to address the academic and professional staff who are currently participating in 8 days of strike action.

The University of Roehampton is one of 60 universities, along with Oxford and Cambridge, who are currently striking over pay, to prevent the use of insecure contracts, and to reduce excessive workloads, which they say, does not allow them enough time to support their students, and has resulted in a dramatic increase in staff experiencing mental distress.

Jo Grady spoke to the picket line at the main gate of the university and then talked to some of the academics, professional staff and members of the Student Union on the picket line. She told the crowd that before the ballot for industrial action, she was warned by a Vice-Chancellor that she would be embarrassed when less than 20 Universities would support the call for strike action. Now the embarrassment is all his as over 60 universities across the country voted in support of industrial action and yesterday it was announced that another 13 universities will reballot and are expected to join the action soon.

“I think we have to realise that this is the type of obliviousness that we are up against. Not managers and University leaders that want to solve the moral stain of casualization on our sector, not leaders who want to close gender pay gaps or close BME pay gaps”, Grady said addressing the picketers.

Linda Cronin, Roehampton UCU Branch Chair, said that the union have been continually asking senior management to talk to them about the problems of excessive workloads and casualization, but that the University just haven’t bothered to listen. She praised her members for saying enough is enough and for taking action. She said “we need to stand together, we need to fight, we need to actually say this isn’t right.”

The Roehampton Students’ Union have declared their support for the strike and students present at the picket line expressed their solidarity. “There’s been this narrative, pitting students and university workers against each other when we’re actually on the same team, because it’s our learning conditions that are in jeopardy as well”, Robin Craig, a PhD student said. “Lecturers don’t have time to do marking, don’t have time to prepare seminars, don’t have time to prepare lectures, they’re not delivering on the nine thousand pounds a year undergraduates are paying, because they physically don’t have time or energy because they are so overworked” he explained.

Most academic staff work over 50 hours during a typical week while salaries have fallen against inflation by over 20% since 2009. Higher Education is second only to the retail sector when it comes to the numbers of staff on insecure contracts, such as zero hour contracts. Women are paid on average 15.1% less than men, disabled workers are paid 8.7% less and black staff earn 12-13% less than white colleagues of the same gender and experience.

November 28, 2019