January 23, 2014 9.56 am This story is over 122 months old

University of Lincoln staff strike again over pay

Call for fair pay: University of Lincoln lecturers and staff who are part of the University and College Union (UCU) will begin a series of weekly two-hour strikes from January 23.
Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

University of Lincoln lecturers and staff who are part of the University and College Union (UCU) will begin a series of weekly two-hour strikes from January 23.

The first in the latest series of these strikes will take place on Thursday, January 23, between 11am and 1pm.

UCU members are striking because the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), the pay negotiators for the employers, refused to negotiate on pay with the union.

UCEA imposed a 1% pay rise on employees in higher education for this pay round which, UCU argue, represents a 13% pay cut in real terms over the last five years.

Because of this, the UCU has decided to escalate its national campaign of strike action, and the Lincoln branch will be taking part in a series of 2 hour strikes over the next few weeks.

Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

Photo: Steve Smailes for The Lincolnite

UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt said: “Employers have decided to dig themselves in and refuse to move at all from the 1% pay offer they have now imposed on most staff in the sector.

“This is in spite of the fact that we know they can afford to pay more than this.

“In a recent briefing we showed that the university sector in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is in good financial shape and is projecting growth in surpluses and reserves over the next few years.

“This has been achieved by holding down pay and making sure that workers and their families take the consequences.

“Our absolute imperative now is to make the case for investing in people – the staff who actually are our universities. That’s why we’re launching a new phase of escalated industrial action now.”