By Aarti Malhotra
The UCU has announced that strike action will pause in the next two weeks amid ongoing negotiations with employers to “create a period of calm”, according to a statement released by Jo Grady, UCU General Secretary today. This means industrial action planned on the following dates will not go ahead:
Week 6: 21 Feb, 22 Feb, 23 Feb
Week 7: 27 Feb, 28 Feb, 1 March, 2 March
Strike action after these dates will continue as planned to put sustained pressure on employers.
Jo Grady said, “[W]e want to make it absolutely clear that this is simply a pause. And alongside this, we will be continuing with the campaign to deliver another massive YES vote in the re-ballot.
“Like us, we know for many members there will be an issue about whether we can trust the employer or not. Let us be clear–they will fear us extending our mandate by another six months far more than they will the next two weeks of strike action.”
The UCU explained that ongoing negotiations have made significant progress on multiple ends. With regard to the pensions dispute, the UCU expressed that they are in the beginning stages of a process that will restore Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) pensions. On the pay and working conditions dispute, negotiations have progressed on issues related to casualisation, workload, and addressing pay gaps and disparities.
Negotiations have also made headway with regard to zero hour contracts and the removal of the lowest point of the pay scale.
