Fair pay fight goes on in higher education
Please back us!


UNITE HIGHER EDUCATION WORKERS – VOTING NOW FOR FAIR PAY!

Higher education support workers are the backbone of our universities.

They deserve to be paid fairly for the work they do. But they’re not. Their pay is so low they’re struggling to cope with soaring living costs.

The Universities and Colleges Employers (UCEA) pay offer for 2023/24 was simply not good enough. The universities can afford to pay more.

Worth between just 3%-8%, it is significantly below inflation so yet another massive pay cut.

Now our members who work as technicians, estate and library staff, cleaners and administrators at over a dozen universities across England, Scotland and Wales are voting on whether to strike.


Strikes loom.

Strike ballots are open or opening soon, with members voting throughout August and into September, at 20 institutions:

• Leeds University –closed: 29 July. Yes vote for strike action. Dates TBC
• Liverpool University –closes 14/08/23
• Aberdeen University, Dundee, Abertay, Edinburgh, Glasgow School of Art, Glasgow, Glasgow Caledonian, Heriot Wyatt, Strathclyde – closes 21/08/23
• Newcastle University – TBC
• Cambridge University – closes 29/09/23
• Cardiff University – closes 24/09/2023
• City University – closes 22/09/2023
• UCL, Royal College of Art, East Anglia, Essex – Dates TBC

Please back us

Going on strike is a last resort. We don’t want to strike or disrupt students. But what other option do we have? We can’t afford to live on our wages. Despite, the small fall in inflation, food, fuel and energy prices remain high and are not falling. And, we’re worried about paying our rents and mortgage payments with markets predicting UK interest rates will hit 6% by the end of the year. It’s just not sustainable.

Please help us get back to the jobs we love. - Join us in calling on UCEA and all Vice Chancellors to:


Raise wages now! To end strike threat.

For Unite members: Get ready. Your strike ballot is coming.

Your pay has fallen behind inflation by more than 20% since 2009/10. Workloads are excessive. Action is needed now. Unite members in over a dozen institutions in England, Wales and Scotland are being balloted on whether to strike over UCEA's paltry pay offer for 2023/24. When the ballot opens, Vote Yes to strike for fair pay. Talk to your reps.

Unite’s Education National Industrial Sector Committee (NISC) is asking HE branches and workplaces to undertake a consultation of members on the UCEA pay offer for 2023-24. Read the offer in UCEA’S letter from 24/02/2023 here. Check out the updated JNCHES Pay Spine with the 2023/24 offer here.

Read a summary of the pay negotiations so far from Andy Murray, National Officer here.