Изображение
Tuesday 3rd December will see university and college staff throughout the country walk out of work in the second day of strike action, as part of a continuing row over pay and conditions.

Higher education workers – including lecturers as well as non-academic staff – have suffered what effectively amounts to a 13% pay cut in real terms since the outbreak of the world economic crisis in 2008, with pay rises consistently staying below inflation and living costs increasing by 15% in the same period. Terms and working conditions are being eroded – as growing casualisation of labour is taking place in the education sector, universities and colleges employ increasing numbers of teaching staff on precarious zero-hour contracts. Unions also highlight the increase in the gender pay gap and the fact that over 4,000 HE employees are paid below the living wage.



 
By UCLU Marxists
PictureTony Brown, UCL UCU branch secretary
The UCLU Marxists were manning the picket lines of the recent UCU, Unison and Unite strike on campus on October 31st, showing their solidarity with striking staff. They were there from first thing in the morning right through to the end and the rally to Conway hall. They provided hot drinks and refreshments to all on the picket line through the strike fund collections made at society meetings in previous weeks.

On the day UCLU Marxists got to interview branch secretary of the UCU (College lecturers' union) at UCL for the Spark, to help further the cause of striking staff and ensure that the university workers' voice is heard among a wider layer of the students.


 
By Guy Howie, UCLU Marxists
Picture
Higher Education workers across the country will be involved in a day of strike action on Thursday 31st October - and students across the country must support it.


 
By UCLU Marxists
Picture
At the weekly organisational meeting of the UCLU Marxists yesterday the society discussed the upcoming strike of university staff throughout the country.

On Oct 31st trade unions UCU (university college lecturers union), UNITE and UNISON will strike over attacks to pay. The Marxist Student Federation, to which UCLU Marxists are affiliated, has proposed the following resolution (see below) to be raised in student unions. The UCLU Marxists voted to adopt the resolution, and later at the public meeting got an indicative vote from the room unanimously in favour. Over forty pounds has now been raised for the striking staff, and the UCLU Marxists plans to invite a UCU rep to speak to the society at their meeting next Wednesday (changed from the usual Thursday meeting so as not to cross the picket lines). The resolution will now be submitted to the student union council.