THE University of Worcester believes there is “no prospect of industrial action at this time” from its staff as national pay and pension strikes loom.
UoW staff will not be involved in eight days of striking later this month in support of legal disputes about pensions, and pay and working conditions, led by the University and College Union (UCU).
Sixty UK universities will be affected by the strikes from November 25, which centre around changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) and failures to make improvements on pay, equality, casualisation and workloads.
In minutes for a UoW Board of Governors meeting in July, it said the director of HR gave an update “on the national pay negotiations and noted the possibility of strike action in November 2019.”
A UoW spokesman said: “The University of Worcester works hard to be a good employer.
“We are very aware of the difficult financial situation facing many universities as a result of a combination of the tuition fee freeze and ongoing reductions in Government grants.
“At the beginning of this decade 67p out of every £ of UoW income came in grants – today it is just 4p in the £.
“At Worcester, we have a reputation for sound management as well as a long history of honestly sharing the financial challenges with staff colleagues and student representatives.”
Of the university’s staff who are UCU members significantly fewer than 50 per cent voted in the strike ballot and the majority were against it, they added. While the majority of the academic staff are part of the Government controlled Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
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