Norwich South MP Clive Lewis and Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayor Dr Nik Johnson are joining University of East Anglia staff rallying this evening against an “insulting” 0% pay offer for 2020.
Professional services staff are currently balloting over industrial action after the national Universities and Colleges Employers Association imposed a 0% ‘rise’ at the end of much-delayed talks on the August 2020 pay award.
Universities union UNISON is holding an online rally as staff push for an improved offer. UNISON general secretary Christina McAnea and senior education officer Ruth Levin complete the line-up alongside Clive Lewis and Dr Nik Johnson.
Below-inflation pay rises in the last decade means that staff in higher education are earning 16.4% less than they were in 2011.
UNISON Eastern regional organiser Cheryl Godber said: “0% is an insult to the UEA support staff who’ve gone the extra mile keeping students and colleagues safe throughout the pandemic.
“This includes the IT teams who built networks almost overnight to move courses online, the caterers who delivered food to isolating students and the security staff who put themselves in harm’s way when Covid was raging through universities.
“Employers must see sense and reconsider.”