Up to 130,000 London students are likely to have their registration disrupted due to university workers striking over London weighting today.
Picket lines at 13 London campuses will hamper registration days over the next two weeks. However, King's College, the Institute of Education (IOE), the School of Oriental and African Studies and City University have made eleventh hour offers of increases in London weighting that would amount to just under 9% by August 1 2004. Staff at King's and the IOE have postponed action to take a ballot.
The association of university teachers (AUT), which represents academics mainly in the pre-1992 universities, said that the strikes were to demonstrate against an 11-year freeze on the London weighting allowance. Unison members in universities are also joining the action. Staff in the capital's new universities have already agreed a settlement and students there will not be affected.
Staff are demanding a minimum of £4,000 London weighting instead of the £2,134 they have received since 1992.
Today students at UCL, Brunel, Goldsmiths and the Royal Holloway were facing disruption with strikes elsewhere scheduled to disrupt their registration days, which should take place over the next fortnight.
Geoff Williams, a contract researcher in linguistics at UCL, speaking from the picket line, said: "The salaries are not fantastic in academia. Someone with a PhD can earn less that 20,000. I live out in Essex because I can't afford to live in London. I commute an hour a day."
He went on: "Nobody likes going through this process. People are crossing the picket line in tears because of divided loyalties to their department, union and students. People are joining reluctantly."
He added that there was strong feeling in London over the London allowances, but that there was also dissent over the employers' recent pay offer: "The background to the dispute is larger than London weighting, the background is about the whole pay framework in the sector."
Chris Piper, president of the University of London student union, said he thought students affected by the disruptions would be supportive: "We're supportive of lecturers and college staff on the London weighting issue and it's an issue for students too. I think most students will be supportive of the claims because they understand that their London weighting isn't adequate."
AUT general secretary Sally Hunt said: "King's College, followed by three other institutions, have acted in a constructive way to avoid the prospect of damaging strike action during the registration period. We now have serious offers that we're able to put to our members in consultative ballots. That must be preferable to members of staff feeling compelled to take further industrial action."
A spokesperson for UCL said: "We will of course be monitoring the impact of the current strike over the next few days. The previous strikes have caused minimal disruption to the university, with well under 10% of staff having taken part in previous strike action."
She added that they would be considering London weighting after the national agreement is confirmed, saying: "UCL is committed to developing an affordable plan that allows for local implementation of the framework agreement, as soon as possible after it is agreed nationally."
London weighting action confirmed so far
Monday September 22: Brunel, Goldsmiths, Royal Holloway, UCL
Tuesday September 23: Brunel, Goldsmiths, Royal Holloway, UCL
Wednesday September 24: Queen Mary
Thursday September 25: Queen Mary
Monday September 29: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, St George's, Birkbeck
Dates for strikes at LSE, Senate House and School of Pharmacy have yet to be confirmed.
