Strike action has begun at Manchester universities as staff complain about deteriorating pay and conditions - with two thirds considering leaving for good.
The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and The Royal Northern College of Music are all hit by five days of strike action over pay and working conditions and altogether, staff at 67 universities across the UK are striking.
The strikes comes as report reveals that three fifths of UK university staff are considering leaving the sector. Staff at the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Royal Northern College of Music began a five-day walkout on Monday, March 28.
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Staff will be picketing main university entrances. Staff from the three universities will also assemble at Brunswick Park from 10.30am Friday, April 1 then march to St Peter Square for a rally. Speakers include UCU president Vicky Blake.
The UK wide strike action involving staff at 67 universities started last week when staff at 40 universities downed tools for five days and this is the third round of strike action this academic year.
The University and College Union (UCU) also warned of a staff exodus from UK universities after two thirds of university staff said they are considering leaving the sector. The finding comes from a new UCU report ‘UK Higher Education – a workforce in crisis’ based on a survey of almost 7,000 (6,761) university staff at over 100 institutions.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: ‘University staff are striking over falling pay and brutal working conditions. They have been pushed to breaking point again and again by vice-chancellors and are now saying that they are ready to leave the sector entirely. This is a damning indictment of the way staff have been treated.
‘If vice chancellors continue to ignore the longstanding concerns of staff, they will threaten the future of higher education in the UK. Universities generate income worth tens of billions and sit on huge reserves. They can afford to treat their staff better and would benefit their institutions by doing so.
'The toxic working culture that has been created by vice-chancellors cannot be allowed to continue, which is why university staff are on picket lines yet again.’
A Manchester Metropolitan University spokesman said: “Manchester Metropolitan University is disappointed at the UCU’s decision to ask its members at the University to take strike action again in relation to the campaign on pay and conditions. We continue to have constructive discussions with local UCU representatives and our wider academic community to address any issues.
"We have plans in place to minimise any disruption to students’ teaching and learning and expect the strike to have limited impact. We can reassure students that any strike action will have no impact to their academic outcomes.”
A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “We absolutely understand how important pay and working conditions, and indeed pensions, are to colleagues and we take these views and concerns very seriously.
“We also recognise the right of colleagues to take this action but continue to be extremely concerned about the impact on our whole community, particularly on our students who have suffered so much over the past 22 months.
“In particular, we’d like to reassure our students that we will do everything we can to minimise any impact on their teaching, learning and wider experience and will of course keep colleagues fully informed of any developments.”
Royal National College of Music have been approached for comment.
The survey found:
Three out of five respondents said they are likely or very likely to leave the university sector in the next five years over deteriorating pay and working conditions.
Almost nine in 10 (88%) of respondents said they are not optimistic or not at all optimistic about the future of higher education in the UK
A majority (57%) of respondents said they are unhappy or very unhappy about spending the remainder of their career in higher education
Industrial ballots also opened at 149 universities this month, including at at the University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan University and the Royal Northern College of Music. They will run until Friday 8 April. Successful ballots pave the way for action to continue to be called throughout the remainder of 2022.
New inflation figures mean UCU estimates staff pay is now down by more than a quarter in real terms since 2009 . Over 70,000 academics are employed on insecure contracts. The gender pay gap in UK universities sits at 16%, whilst the disability pay gap is 9% and the race pay gap is up to 17%
The union is demanding an end to race, gender and disability pay injustice; a framework to eliminate zero-hours and other insecure contracts; and meaningful action to tackle unmanageable workloads; as well as a £2.5k pay rise for all university employees.
The union said universities can more than afford to meet the demands of staff. University finance figures show total income across the sector is around £41.9bn with reserves of £46.8bn. Students have been supporting the striking staff and the National Union of Students joined the previous round of action with a student strike on Wednesday, March 2.
