Here’s my attempt to show the effect of the February/March 2023 pay uplift and what has been imposed for August 2023. UNISON has not accepted this, and we’ll ballot later in the year over strike action, but this should explain what’s been offered by UCEA. Figures are not official and could be subject to errors (entirely my own) and rounding…
Pay
Thursday 16th February – Come and join us on a march for better pay
Thursday 16th is the first of four days of strike action – our long weekend. We’ll be picketing each site from 8am and on Thursday, we’re meeting from 11.30am at Brighton train station to march down to Victoria Gardens at 12 noon, for a rally with UCU and other trade unionists from Brighton. Please try to join us if you…
UNISON Strike Action – Thursday 16th, Friday 17th, Monday 20th and Tuesday 21st
Our “long weekend” of strike action starts on Thursday with four days. We’re serious about a resolution to the imposition of a massive real-terms pay cut from August last year and we can’t continue to accept the reduction to our wages this implies. We know the University of Brighton is in a poor financial situation, but this is national campaign…
Strike Action over Pay – 24/25/30 November
You will know this already, but we’re planning strike action again on 24th, 25th and 30th November. This time, we’ll be striking alongside UCU at virtually every university and about 20 UNISON branches with a strike mandate. The Vice-Chancellor’s recent email recognised that the planned industrial action “stems from genuine concerns about the cost of living”. It is also about…
UCU Ballot Result points to joined up strike action over pay
If you’re going to have to take strike action to stop your pay sliding down and down, then you might as well make sure you win the strike. UCU’s national ballot result over pay and working conditions is a victory for all UNISON members, because it was necessary for UCU members to be able to take national strike action. They…
October strikes “out of office” message
If you’re on strike this week, why not leave an out of office message that’s something like this? “Thank you for your email. Unfortunately, I won’t be at work on Thursday, Friday and Monday because I’m a member of UNISON, taking strike action as part of a campaign for university workers to be paid properly. Our pay has fallen dramatically,…
13th, 14th and 17th October
We’re giving the University notice of strike action over pay on Thursday 13th, Friday 14th and Monday 17th October. This is because we can’t accept the imposed increase in August, which is so far below the cost of living that it represents a real terms pay cut of between 9% and 4%. We’ll be organising picket lines and calling on…
2022-23 Pay Ballot Result – 82% vote to strike on a 61% turnout
A massive thank you to everyone who voted in our pay ballot. We achieved our highest ever turnout in a postal ballot with four out of five members who voted, voting in favour of taking strike action. This is a result of the 3% (plus more for grades 1 to 4) pay rise imposed this month, which, due to inflation…
12.3% inflation means this dispute over pay is off the scale
With inflation now in double figures (12.3% RPI and 10.1% CPI), it’s clear that this is a major crisis for this government and the economic system that they’re trying to control. For universities, it’s also a major crisis, as if the effects of a decade of marketisation and tuition fee led competition had not already created major winners and losers.…
Pay Ballot Rally – Watch it here now
If you missed our pay ballot rally last week, you can watch it here, featuring our very own Lizzie. Higher Education Pay – strike ballot online rally – YouTube We’re now mid-way through our ballot. All members working directly for the University should have received a ballot paper at home, so please make sure you return it and let us…
