🪧 #UCUstrike Thread 🪧
Wondering why staff across 68 universities are on strike?
@ucu #OneOfUsAllOfUs #FourFights #DigitalPicketLine #DigitalPicket
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Wondering why staff across 68 universities are on strike?
@ucu #OneOfUsAllOfUs #FourFights #DigitalPicketLine #DigitalPicket
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1. Fair Pay (including fair pensions):
Staff pay has dropped by over 17% in real-terms since 2009
ucu.org.uk/article/10342/…
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Staff pay has dropped by over 17% in real-terms since 2009
ucu.org.uk/article/10342/…
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Meanwhile the pay for University VCs and other senior management is ballooning.
Average university Vice Chancellor now earns over 250k
telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/02/1…
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Average university Vice Chancellor now earns over 250k
telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/02/1…
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Fair pensions and fair pay go hand in hand.
UUK has demanded that employees bear a substantial increase in contribution to keep defined benefits - despite an evaluation by a Joint Expert Panel (JEP) that such an increase was unnecessary and unfair.
ucu.org.uk/uss-faqs
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UUK has demanded that employees bear a substantial increase in contribution to keep defined benefits - despite an evaluation by a Joint Expert Panel (JEP) that such an increase was unnecessary and unfair.
ucu.org.uk/uss-faqs
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Newer employees stand to pay £40,000 more in contributions for £200,000 less in retirement
ucu.org.uk/article/10229/…
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ucu.org.uk/article/10229/…
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University staff face cuts to guaranteed, defined benefit pensions up to 41%
ucu.org.uk/article/11911/…
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ucu.org.uk/article/11911/…
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Have a #USS pension? Calculate your pension losses under the current #UUK proposals using this modeller
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https://twitter.com/felicitycallard/status/1494262981600894977?s=20&t=P8gcNXvGEZkzayVnfnvN7Q
Learn and share more about the dirty details of the #USSmess
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https://twitter.com/Sam_Marsh101/status/1495384050516774914?s=20&t=sG9HiOqUWLnpNGf5Jb8aAA
2. Casualisation/ job security:
Nearly 46% of universities use zero-hour contracts to deliver teaching
ucu.org.uk/stampout
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Nearly 46% of universities use zero-hour contracts to deliver teaching
ucu.org.uk/stampout
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"Research shows 97% of academics on fixed-term contracts would rather be on permanent ones, exploding the claim that “flexibility” is some kind of lifestyle choice."
theguardian.com/education/2020…
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theguardian.com/education/2020…
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3. Fair workloads:
University staff perform, on an average, 15hrs (that’s 2 days) of unpaid labour per week
ucu.org.uk/workloadcampai…
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University staff perform, on an average, 15hrs (that’s 2 days) of unpaid labour per week
ucu.org.uk/workloadcampai…
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In some cases, especially amongst newer and casualised workers, rising to 40 hours (5 days) per week of unpaid evenings and weekends worked
ucu.org.uk/media/8195/Wor…
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ucu.org.uk/media/8195/Wor…
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Learn more about wage theft from @JortsTheCat
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https://twitter.com/JortsTheCat/status/1495563019681550336?s=20&t=_tYdXRP-SPUf1lQbbId7BQ
The workloads in universities are unmanageable and unsustainable and are contributing to poor health and well-being amongst staff.
Over half (53%) of UK university staff showing signs of depression, report shows
ucu.org.uk/article/11839/…
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Over half (53%) of UK university staff showing signs of depression, report shows
ucu.org.uk/article/11839/…
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Overwork and burnout have become commonplace in academia, but not everyone *can* (for example, colleagues with caring responsibilities or disabled colleagues) and *no one should* have to work UNPAID extra hours
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4. Equality:
The strike action includes demands for universities to address systemic inequalities including the gender pay gap, the race/ethnicity pay gap, and disability pay gap.
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The strike action includes demands for universities to address systemic inequalities including the gender pay gap, the race/ethnicity pay gap, and disability pay gap.
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The racial/ethnic pay gap across the higher education sector in the UK is reported by UCU as an average of 17%, but it is as high as 26% at some universities
ucu.org.uk/article/9805/U…
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ucu.org.uk/article/9805/U…
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Women fare worse in universities than in other sectors with respect to the gender pay gap (an average of 15%)
timeshighereducation.com/news/gender-pa…
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timeshighereducation.com/news/gender-pa…
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Disability disclosure rates are higher among permanent #Academic staff than those on fixed-term contracts
If there were no risks to disclose, no fear of career consequences, no fear of discrimination, the rates of disclosure would be similar
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If there were no risks to disclose, no fear of career consequences, no fear of discrimination, the rates of disclosure would be similar
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https://twitter.com/Jess_Gagnon/status/1447501701439758338?s=20&t=_tYdXRP-SPUf1lQbbId7BQ
In addition to issues of unequal pay, there is substantial evidence of systemic discrimination across higher education based on race, gender, disability, sexuality identity, nationality/migrant status
rsc.org/new-perspectiv…
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rsc.org/new-perspectiv…
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Striking is an action of last resort.
Striking employees lose pay on strike days.
The sacrifice and stakes for striking employees are high.
Please do not cross the picket line, whether the line is physical or digital.
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Striking employees lose pay on strike days.
The sacrifice and stakes for striking employees are high.
Please do not cross the picket line, whether the line is physical or digital.
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