Menu
31/10/2013
UK Universities Begin One-Day Strike
Lecturers and staff in higher education have begun a one-day strike in opposition to a 1% pay offer.
The action began at midnight as security guards at Glasgow Caledonian University started a day of shutdown of universities and higher education colleges across the UK.
UNISON members are say they are "upset and angry" at a 1% pay offer that has seen pay fall by nearly 15% over the past four years.
The union claims over 4,000 staff are currently paid below the living wage while over half of vice-chancellors earn over £242,000.
Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said: "Taking strike action is never an easy decision, especially for those already struggling on low pay. With Christmas less than two months away losing a day’s pay is even harder, but it shows just how angry and upset our members feel at this miserly 1% offer.
"Even members earning above the Living Wage are finding their incomes squeezed to breaking point. It is a disgrace that universities are sitting on cash surpluses worth £2bn, but they are not prepared to reward their staff, who are the backbone of our world class university system.
"We know that the total wage bill is falling while staff numbers have increased – that dynamic spells misery for many thousands of families. It is time for university employers to think again about the value that they place on their workforce and come back with a better offer."
(IT/CD)
The action began at midnight as security guards at Glasgow Caledonian University started a day of shutdown of universities and higher education colleges across the UK.
UNISON members are say they are "upset and angry" at a 1% pay offer that has seen pay fall by nearly 15% over the past four years.
The union claims over 4,000 staff are currently paid below the living wage while over half of vice-chancellors earn over £242,000.
Dave Prentis, General Secretary of UNISON, said: "Taking strike action is never an easy decision, especially for those already struggling on low pay. With Christmas less than two months away losing a day’s pay is even harder, but it shows just how angry and upset our members feel at this miserly 1% offer.
"Even members earning above the Living Wage are finding their incomes squeezed to breaking point. It is a disgrace that universities are sitting on cash surpluses worth £2bn, but they are not prepared to reward their staff, who are the backbone of our world class university system.
"We know that the total wage bill is falling while staff numbers have increased – that dynamic spells misery for many thousands of families. It is time for university employers to think again about the value that they place on their workforce and come back with a better offer."
(IT/CD)
Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.
17 August 2004
BA tables new offer in pay dispute
BA has tabled a new offer in negotiations with unions who are threatening strike action during the busy August bank holiday in a dispute over pay. According to the airline, staff will earn an extra £1,000 if they are absent from work no more than 16 days in a two-year period – in addition to the offer of an 8.
BA tables new offer in pay dispute
BA has tabled a new offer in negotiations with unions who are threatening strike action during the busy August bank holiday in a dispute over pay. According to the airline, staff will earn an extra £1,000 if they are absent from work no more than 16 days in a two-year period – in addition to the offer of an 8.
01 September 2011
Commission On Minimum Wage Visit
Two Low Pay Commissioners are to visit London next week on a fact-finding visit about the National Minimum Wage. The visit is one of a number of planned trips the Low Pay Commission is making around the UK during 2011 to "gather information on how the minimum wage is operating".
Commission On Minimum Wage Visit
Two Low Pay Commissioners are to visit London next week on a fact-finding visit about the National Minimum Wage. The visit is one of a number of planned trips the Low Pay Commission is making around the UK during 2011 to "gather information on how the minimum wage is operating".
19 August 2014
New Data Shows Women Hit By 'Mid-Life Pay Crisis'
Female managers over 40 years old are earning 35% less than men, according to new data by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and XpertHR. To earn the same as a male manager over a career, a woman would have to work the equivalent of over 14 years more.
New Data Shows Women Hit By 'Mid-Life Pay Crisis'
Female managers over 40 years old are earning 35% less than men, according to new data by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and XpertHR. To earn the same as a male manager over a career, a woman would have to work the equivalent of over 14 years more.
26 September 2008
Funding Boost Of £455m For Equal Pay Claims
Funding of £455m will be awarded to councils in England to allow back payments relating to thousands of equal pay claims from women workers. In a move to speed up long-term commitments to achieving equal pay for all council workers, local government minister John Healey gave the go-ahead to 34 councils to raise the money through capitlisation.
Funding Boost Of £455m For Equal Pay Claims
Funding of £455m will be awarded to councils in England to allow back payments relating to thousands of equal pay claims from women workers. In a move to speed up long-term commitments to achieving equal pay for all council workers, local government minister John Healey gave the go-ahead to 34 councils to raise the money through capitlisation.
27 February 2006
Report highlights gender pay gap in the UK
Women are still being paid less than men, thirty years after the introduction of equal pay legislation, a new report has found. The government-commissioned "Shaping a Fairer Future" report from the Women and Work Commission found that women are earning 17% less than men. This was "bad for women and bad for Britain", the report said.
Report highlights gender pay gap in the UK
Women are still being paid less than men, thirty years after the introduction of equal pay legislation, a new report has found. The government-commissioned "Shaping a Fairer Future" report from the Women and Work Commission found that women are earning 17% less than men. This was "bad for women and bad for Britain", the report said.
-
Northern Ireland WeatherThis Evening and Tonight:It will be cloudy with a spell of heavy rain pushing south through late evening and the early hours, soon followed by some clear spells. Minimum temperature 6 °C.
