Five days of strikes to hit Sheffield Hallam University in pay docking fight

Staff at the university have already taken two days of strike action in response to the deductions, on 25 and 26 May.

The further full days of strike action called are: 

• Wednesday 31 May, no pickets
• Thursday 1 June, no pickets
• Friday 2 June, picket location: City Campus, Howard Street, S1 1WB
• Wednesday 7 June, picket locations: Collegiate Cres, Broomhall, Sheffield S10 2BP; City Campus, Howard Street, S1 1WB
• Thursday 8 June, picket locations: Collegiate Cres, Broomhall, Sheffield S10 2BP; City Campus, Howard Street, S1 1WB.

Staff are striking because Sheffield Hallam is deducting 100% of the pay of staff taking part in the marking and assessment boycott, despite staff continuing to teach, lecture and support students as normal.

The boycott covers all marking and assessment, including in writing, online, or verbally at 145 UK universities. It will continue until employer body the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) makes an improved offer in the ongoing pay and working conditions dispute, at which point UCU will decide whether to continue the action or call it off. Since 2009, a series of low pay offers has caused staff pay to fall behind inflation by 25%.

In March UCU successfully renewed its mandate in the ongoing national pay and conditions dispute, allowing action to be called for a further six months at 145 universities, including Hallam. 

Sheffield Hallam has an income of £315m and has £224m in the bank. UCU said it should be trying to resolve the dispute instead of impoverishing staff. 

Queen's University Belfast and the University of Cambridge have called on UCEA to re-enter negotiations so the dispute can be resolved and students can graduate. 

UCU regional official Julie Kelley said: 'Sheffield Hallam should be battering down the door down to employer body UCEA and demanding it gets back to the negotiating table. That is the only way this dispute will be resolved. Instead, it is enforcing a brutal pay docking regime on staff fighting for a fair deal. Hallam can afford to pay staff more and only has itself to blame for the current disruption. Our members will be on the picket line for five days unless the university ends its punitive pay deductions.'