A college with precarious finances is set to be hit with six weeks of staff strike action, after leaders refused a double-digit pay demand that is “in no way financially viable”.
University and College Union (UCU) members at Bradford College will take to the picket line for their first day of strike action tomorrow, Thursday May 4, with 14 days over six weeks set to cause disruption over the pivotal exam season.
It comes as members rejected a £1,160 pay uplift – estimated to be a 4.3 per cent pay uplift on average or 3.2 per cent for lecturing staff – as the union had demanded a 10 per cent increase.
Union officials pointed to the 13.5 per cent Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation rate recorded for January, claiming that some members can no longer afford to drive to work or are skipping meals to make ends meet.
