Last week, university staff at 150 institutions across the UK began three days of strike action. This UCU strike was the biggest in the history of education and involved over 70,000 staff.
Staff are striking over pay, working conditions, and pensions.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady said that further disruption can be avoided “if the concerns of staff are addressed with urgency.”
Grady continued to state: “But the overpaid vice-chancellors killing our sector should be under no illusion: 70,000 dedicated university workers are ready to take even bigger action in the New Year.”
Related: Two Universities Reportedly Threaten To Cut Striking Staff’s Wages ‘Indefinitely’
Jeremy Corbyn joins UCU picket line at City University
Corbyn, the MP for Islington North, visited the UCU picket line at City, University of London in Northampton Square. He shared a picture with the striking university staff and called the strike a “momentous display of unity, solidarity and collective strength.”
The politician said: “Thousands of university staff — administrators, librarians, lecturers, cleaners, security, researchers and caterers — are rising up to defend each other.”
A week before the strikes took place, Corbyn told followers on Twitter that he had signed a pledge to join the striking staff on the picket line as they fight to “reclaim what’s theirs, protect future generations, and save higher education.”
“The biggest strike action in the history of higher education”
Staff at universities across the UK held strike action on November 24, 25, and 30. The National Union of Students backed the strike action, which the UCU said could impact over 2.5 million students.
Grady explained that staff would be taking “the biggest strike action in the history of higher education.”
“They have had enough of falling pay, pension cuts and gig-economy working conditions – all whilst vice-chancellors enjoy lottery win salaries and live it up in their grace and favour mansions,” Grady said.
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