University staff vote for a strike

CONCERNS OVER COVID EXPRESSED IN BALLOT

STAFF at Northumbria University have voted to take strike action over health and safety concerns regarding Covid-19.

In a ballot carried out by the University and College Union branch, 66.5% said they were prepared to walk out over the issue while 89.9% of members voted yes to taking industrial action short of a strike. There was a 67.3% turnout.

Union bosses said the Northumbria branch was the first in the UK to win a ballot over health and safety relating to Covid-19 and it could lead to other ballots across the country “if employers continue to fail to prioritise the concerns of staff”.

The ballot took place on Wednesday and the union said the day before Northumbria University had already agreed to limit the amount of in-person teaching which takes place on campus. UCU General Secretary Jo Grady said: “This is a massive step forward in our struggle to keep campuses safe for staff and students.

“This shows how seriously our members take the safety of their students and colleagues.

“We regret it took a ballot for industrial action for Northumbria to take this matter seriously.

“If the employer had listened to our concerns from the start then we could have avoided this escalation.

“’We welcome the statement sent by university management on Tuesday to move to only limited teaching on campus and we hope this sensible safety-first approach continues into next term.”

A spokesperson for Northumbria University said: “We have been advised of the recent ballot result by the Northumbria branch of the University and College Union.

“Discussions between the university and UCU have continued during the ballot period and at this stage it is not clear whether any action will be taken so it is not possible to comment in detail.”

We reported last month how the

UCU declared a formal dispute with the university and was considering strike action over Covid fears amid claims staff were “having to choose between their health and their work”.

The union said then academics were “worried for themselves and their families, for the students, and for the community” amid rising Covid case numbers in the city.

There had been major concerns about the return of more than 50,000 students to Newcastle during a resurgence of the virus, with the city at the time having one of the highest rates of infection in the country.