Staff at University of the West of Scotland balloted on strike action over pay
ANOTHER university could join 13 Scottish institutions taking strike action, a union has warned.
University and College Union (UCU) Scotland members at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) are being asked to back industrial action in a ballot that closes on January 28.
The disputes centre on changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and issues over pay and conditions, with some institutions involved in both disputes and others in only one.
If UWS staff vote to take part in the action over pay and working conditions they will join UCU members at 13 other Scottish universities who finished the first eight days of strikes yesterday.
The union has warned if the disputes cannot be resolved then more strikes are likely in the new year, with more members eligible to take part and more universities and students affected.
Dr Christopher O’donnell, UCU secretary at UWS, said: “We’ll be asking members at UWS to say yes to strike action and be ready to join strikes in the new year should they be necessary.
“Nobody wants to take strike action and the incredible support seen for the action at universities so far should force universities back to the negotiating table with serious offers to resolve the disputes without further disruption.”
The union said members at 12 institutions across the UK are being reballoted for strike action.
UWS is not part of the USS and voted against strike action by a narrow margin in the previous ballot over pay and conditions.
The universities affected are Heriot-watt University; the University of Aberdeen; the University of Dundee; the University of Stirling; the University of Edinburgh; the University of Glasgow; the University of St Andrews; the University of Strathclyde; Glasgow Caledonian University; Glasgow School of Art, Queen Margaret University; the Scottish Association for Marine Science, and The Open University in
Scotland. They are among 60 institutions across the UK taking part.
The action relates to two separate disputes – one on pensions and one on pay and working conditions. UCU said that 78 per cent of members polled voted for strikes over changes to pensions and 73% backed strikes over pay and conditions.
As well as eight strike days, union members will begin further industrial action when they return to work, such as refusing to cover absences and working to contract.