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University of St Mark and St John staff strike to hit key university meeting

6 July 2016

Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø members at the University of St Mark and St John in Plymouth will be on strike tomorrow (Thursday) as part of a wave of nationwide strikes in a row over pay and conditions.

Striking staff will be on a picket line outside the main entrance on from 7.30am. The action is also timed to coincide with a major university meeting - the Progression and Awards Board (PAB).

The dispute has arisen following a pay offer of just 1.1% from the universities' employers, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association. Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø said universities can afford to pay more and the offer did little to address the real-terms pay cut of 14.5% that members have suffered since 2009.

The squeeze on staff salaries comes despite . The union has also called for universities to commit to closing the gender pay gap and reducing the proportion of staff on casual and zero-hours contracts. On average, female academics are than their male counterparts, while 49% of university teachers are on insecure contracts.

Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø regional official, Philippa Davey, said: 'Our targeted strike action is a result of the employers' failure to deal with the declining real-terms pay of university staff, or tackle the problems of growing numbers of zero-hours contracts and the persistent gender pay gap. Members have been left with no alternative but to take this action.'

Since 2010 the amount spent on staff by universities as a percentage of total income has dropped by 3%. However, the total of cash reserves has rocketed by 72% to stand at over £21bn. The nationwide strikes over pay began with two national strike days in May and now Âé¶¹¹ÙÍø members at separate institutions are striking to disrupt local events such as open days and graduation ceremonies. 

Last updated: 6 July 2016

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