Bath Spa University staff will strike to hit 'staff development day'

Members of UCU at Bath Spa University will be on strike tomorrow as part of a wave of nationwide strikes in a row over pay and conditions.

Staff at the university have timed their action to coincide with a staff development day to be held at the institution. UCU is urging its members to boycott the event.

Striking staff will be on a picket lines outside the main entrances to the Newton Park campus in Newton St Loe from 8am.

The dispute has arisen following a pay offer of just 1.1% from the universities' employers, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association. UCU 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 vice-chancellors enjoying a 6.1% pay hike. At Bath Spa University, vice-chancellor Professor Christina Slade, received an 11% pay increase in 2014/15, taking her total salary to £343,000.

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 paid £6,103 less a year than their male counterparts, while 49% of university teachers are on insecure contracts.

Regional official, Catriona Scott, 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 UCU members at separate institutions are striking to disrupt local events such as open days and graduation ceremonies.