Bristol University staff strike to demand better pay

Scores of university workers have taken strike action across Bristol to demand better pay conditions.

The staff, who are members of the Unison trade union, staged protests outside various University of Bristol buildings on Thursday morning.

They are unhappy with the current five to eight per cent pay rise on offer, calling for this to be more in line with the current RPI inflation rate of 11.4 per cent.

The union has warned that more strikes will likely take place later in June and beyond if the dispute is not resolved.

Bristol uni workers are out in force today, again striking over pay ? pic.twitter.com/mwvILs8mQj

— Charlie Watts ✪ (@char1iewatts) June 1, 2023

Speaking from one of the picket lines outside the Arts and Social Sciences Library, Mia Smith said they want an increase in pay and less “precarious” contracts.

“Everything continues to rise – food prices, house prices, everything but our wages – so we’re on strike for fair pay,” said the library assistant.

“Before I worked in this role, I was an intern with the university and I felt they kind of used me for cheap labour. We want people to have a living wage.”

University workers across Bristol were on strike on Thursday morning to demand more pay – photo: Charlie Watts

Following previous action, the pay rise offer was raised from three per cent to the current rate, but the University of Bristol’s Unison branch says this remains “grossly insufficient”.

The branch says its members’ pay has not risen in line with inflation since 2009, but its membership has grown 44 per cent in the last year, representing hundreds of university staff.

The branch represents the university’s professional services staff – including some of the lowest paid employees – and does not represent academic staff unlike its sister union, UCU.

The University of Bristol’s Unison branch says the current pay rise offer is “grossly insufficient” – photo: Charlie Watts

Jess Miles, digital marketing manager for Bristol University Press, was among the strikers gathered outside the Wills Memorial Building.

“The amount people are being offered is just not enough for people to cope with the cost-of-living crisis,” said Miles, who has worked for the university for 17 years.

“It’s very disruptive, the number of strikes that are happening and there’s more strikes planned. I think [the university’s] got to listen because of the impact it’s having on students.

“There’s not been much strike action until the last couple of years which I think does give you a sense of how bad things are for people that people are getting out and doing this now.”

The union has threatened further action if the dispute is not resolved – photo: Charlie Watts

In response to the action, a University of Bristol spokesperson said: “We are very sorry to see colleagues represented by Unison taking part in industrial action today but, at the same time, we respect the rights of our staff to act where they feel strongly about issues which affect them.

“Unison advised that they had a mandate for strike action in relation to the pay award in September last year. We are one of only nine universities affected by this latest action.

“We remain committed to continuing discussions. The University is part of national HE collective bargaining so we cannot unilaterally change the pay award of between 5-8%– agreed for the 23/24 academic year, therefore we need to find better ways of resolving this dispute nationally.”

Main image: Charlie Watts

Read next:

• ‘The urgency for sweeping change in universities could not be greater’
• Public sector workers strike for better pay and working conditions
• Bristol Uni staff return to picket lines as strikes ‘come to a head’

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