University of Bristol lecturers to strike this November

By Freya Shaw, Creative Director

The University and College Union has announced that 3 days of strike action will take place at the end of November in their biggest strike ever.

Strikes will take place on Thursday the 24th November, Friday 25th November and Wednesday the 30th November. Roughly 70,000 staff from 150 different Universities will be taking part.

The strikes come after a vote last month, where 84.9 per cent of UCU members voted in favour to strike due to the ongoing pension dispute and 81.1 per cent voting for strike action regarding pay and working conditions.

The UCU has also demanded a pay rise to aid with the ongoing cost of living crisis, and reversing the 35 per cent cut to pensions.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'Campuses across the UK are about to experience strike action on a scale never seen before. 70,000 staff will walk out and make clear they refuse to accept falling pay, cuts to pensions and insecure employment.

'This is not a dispute about affordability – it is about choices. Vice-chancellors are choosing to pay themselves hundreds of thousands of pounds whilst forcing our members onto low-paid and insecure contracts that leave some using food banks. They choose to hold billions in surpluses whilst slashing staff pensions.'

'UCU members do not want to strike but are doing so to save the sector and win dignity at work. This dispute has the mass support of students because they know their learning conditions are our members’ working conditions.

'If university vice-chancellors don’t get serious, our message is simple – this bout of strike action will be just the beginning.'

Will you support the strike action this November?