Staff at five universities* in Scotland will take strike action this week in ongoing disputes over pay and working conditions, and pay deductions.
The strike action is part of UK wide action with universities across the country being hit by at least five days of strike action before the end of September. In Scotland, in addition to the five taking action this week, strike action is also planned next week.
The dispute centres on pay and working conditions. The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), the employers' negotiating body, has imposed a pay award for 2023/24 worth just 5% for most UCU members despite UCU members rejecting the offer. As well as a better pay offer, UCU is also demanding action on gig-economy employment practices in universities along with action on staff workloads and pay gaps. UCU branches at Stirling and Aberdeen are also taking action over those universities deducting punitive levels of pay from staff who took part in a marking and assessment boycott. Staff at Stirling university are currently in the middle of three weeks of strike action.
Trade union legislation requires mandates for unions taking industrial action to be renewed every six months. As well as the ongoing strike action, the union has also announced plans to re-ballot members which will allow action to be taken throughout the rest of 2023 and into the new year.
