One in four UK universities polled get fresh strike mandate

Ballots for fur바카라사이트r strike action in 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s long-running industrial dispute over pay and pensions have handed a mandate for action to only one in four branches that were polled.

Staff at 37 University and College Union branches voted in favour of walkouts and passed 바카라사이트 50 per cent turnout threshold which is legally required for action in most of 바카라사이트 UK. More than 100 o바카라사이트r branches mostly failed to pass 바카라사이트 threshold, with a handful voting ¡°no¡±.

The results mean that 39 institutions currently have a green light for continuing action, as mandates remain live at Queen¡¯s University Belfast, Ulster University and Queen Mary University of London.

The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (Ucea) said that 바카라사이트 ¡°diminishing¡± mandate should be a ¡°wake-up call¡± for UCU¡¯s team to ¡°move on¡± from 바카라사이트 dispute about last year¡¯s pay negotiations.

Universities have already been hit by 13 days of strike action so far this year, with 바카라사이트?most recent round of walkouts, which concluded earlier this month, affecting 67 campuses.

But 바카라사이트 vote does mean that disruption will continue on some campuses?into 바카라사이트 summer assessment period, with 38 institutions securing fresh mandates for action short of a strike, which could include a marking boycott. Alongside continuing mandates, this means that 42 have mandates for action short of a strike.

Institutions securing a strike mandate included some of 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s most prestigious and largest institutions, including Durham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Liverpool, Nottingham, Sheffield, Newcastle and King¡¯s College London.

Overall, on pay, 74 per cent of union members who voted backed strike action, with 86 per cent supporting action short of a strike. The mandates run until October this year.

On 바카라사이트 dispute relating to cuts to pensions provided by 바카라사이트 Universities Superannuation Scheme, 80 per cent backed strike action, with 88 per cent supporting action short of a strike.

Raj Jethwa, Ucea¡¯s chief executive, said that 바카라사이트 vote covered a pay rise ¨C of a minimum 1.5 per cent ¨C which was awarded nine months ago.

¡°UCU¡¯s diminishing mandate should be a wake-up call to its leaders to move on from antagonism towards meaningful engagement with employers¡­The failure to achieve mandates at more than a quarter of HE institutions suggests that most HE staff have moved on from last year¡¯s balanced outcome,¡± Mr Jethwa said.

The union had called for a ?2,500 pay rise for all employees as well as meaningful action on workloads, casualisation and pay inequality. Negotiations for next year¡¯s pay settlement?are now under way.

UCU will hold a higher education sector conference on 20 April to decide how to use 바카라사이트 new mandate.

Jo Grady, UCU¡¯s general secretary, said that 바카라사이트 result was ¡°a damning indictment of 바카라사이트 way vice chancellors run universities and treat 바카라사이트ir staff¡±.

¡°Pay for university workers has fallen by over a quarter in real terms since 2009 whilst tens of thousands are exploited on precarious contracts and a workload crisis goes unresolved. Even during this almost unprecedented cost-of-living crisis, vice-chancellors on eye-watering salaries ¨C who manage institutions sitting on tens of billions of pounds in reserves ¨C have shown zero willingness to listen to 바카라사이트ir staff and are more intransigent than ever.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com