University of the West of Scotland lecturers will today walk out on strike in Paisley – and will be picketing the campus in Paisley.
They will join more than 8,000 staff at 17 universities across Scotland in disputes over pay, working conditions and pensions.
The strike is the first of 18 days of industrial action to affect the university in the next two months. The strikes are organised by the University and College Union (UCU).
Last week, university bosses offered staff a five per cent pay award. UCU said the offer is “not enough” and expects members to reject it in big numbers in a consultation which was launched yesterday.
As well as the pay offer, union members want an agreed framework to eliminate insecure employment practices such as temporary and zero-hours contracts, and action to address high workloads.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “University vice-chancellors and principals have been given multiple opportunities to resolve these disputes. Instead, they have forced staff back to the picket line and brought disruption to students.
“Staff aren’t asking for much. They want a decent pay rise, secure employment and for devastating pension cuts to be reversed.
“Students back their staff taking action because they see day in day out the way that it treats those who do the work inside our universities.
“There are 17 further days of strike action planned but it can be avoided. For that, we need university bosses to get serious and make much improved offers. If they don’t, any disruption that takes place is entirely their responsibility.”
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