UCU TEACHER STRIKES: WHAT’S THE DEAL?
Since the beginning of February 2023, teachers across the UK have been striking, due to disputes about inadequate pay and don’t appear to be stopping anytime before April 20th.
On the 15th of March, I spoke with University lecturers who were striking with University College Union (UCU) outside of Coventry University’s Richard Crossman building.
The lecturers expressed feeling that they are not being paid enough by their institutions for the work they put in, especially at a time where the cost of living crisis is affecting many people across the UK.
Luca Morhini (UCU)
When asked about goals and outcomes of the strikes, lecturer Luca Morhini (who didn’t wish to disclose his institution) explained that “They want to eliminate casualisation”. This is when workers, teachers in this case, have no set work hours and are called in as and when they’re needed.
“They get maybe £30 per hour, but it's for contact hours, which means if they have to prepare 2 hours of a good lecture for you (students), they have to work at least 4 to 5 hours and those are not paid.”
Hourly paid lecturers for Coventry University aren’t employed directly by the University, but instead a subsidiary temping agency owned by the university known as Future Works. Some of these lectures are being paid as little as £9 an hour, which is the minimum wage.
“Really it’s a way of getting around the rules of what you’re supposed to pay staff.” Simon, another university lecturer striking with UCU (who also chose not to disclose his surname and institution).
In the UK, the average salary for a university lecturer has been reducing since 2009 is £40,761. Many universities in the UK rely on the Higher Education Pay spine, but this is not compulsory.
The lecturers expressed uncertainty as to what the outcome of the strikes will be, as it comes down to their employers, who despite being in negotiation with UCU, have been unwilling to shift.
There have been many concerns over the effect of inflation on lecturer’s pay, however pay cuts have been occurring before this. Annual decreases in teacher’s pay have been occurring as early as 2009. Tim, another anonymous UCU lecturer explained that “Even if we were to get 5%, it’s a joke” which is what the latest pay rise offer proposed for lecturers has been.
More recently, staff at Sheffield College have voted to reject a 3.5% pay rise offer for 2023/24, after voting to not to accept the offer in an e-ballot. According to a UCU report, Sheffield College has more than £90m in reserves, however 8 in 10 of their English college staff are financially insecure.
“Lecturers are professional people” and as of now, they are not being treated as such by their employers.
“It’s just people feeling undervalued and they’ve been feeling undervalued for years and years and years”
The full interview is linked below:
By Ray Folarin
