University strike: The 12 London institutions that will be hit with strikes next month

Twelve universities in London will be affected by a nationwide three day strike over staff pay, pensions and working conditions next month.

The action is due to take place from Wednesday, December 1 and Friday, December 3.

The strikes were backed by University and College Union (UCU) members in two separate ballots earlier this month and are over pay, pensions or in some cases, both.

In the pension ballot, 76% of UCU members who voted backed strike action and 88% voted in favour of action short of strike.

In the pay and working conditions ballot, more than seven in 10 members who voted backed strike action with 85% voting for action short of strike.

The UCU said staff pay has fallen by 20% after 12 years of below inflation pay offers and that one third of academic staff are on insecure contracts.

The union also said that the gender pay gap sits at 15% and pointed to the most recent Higher Education Statistics Agency figures, which reveal that, of 22,810 professors in the UK, under a third are women and only 1% are black

It added that staff are experiencing a crisis of work-related stress, claiming that more than half showing probable signs of depression.

The institutions in London where strikes are taking place over both pay and pensions are:

• Birkbeck, University of London
• Goldsmiths, University of London
• King’s College London
• London School of Economics 
• Royal Holloway, University of London 
• SOAS, University of London

Six London institutions are striking for pay only, they are:

• Courtauld Institute of Art
• Kingston University 
• Greenwich University 
• Royal College of Art 
• University of the Arts
• University College London

One London university, Imperial College London, will strike over pensions only.

A total of 58 universities across the UK will take part in strike action.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “Strikes over three consecutive days are set to hit university campuses next month unless employers get round the table and take staff concerns over pension cuts, pay and working conditions seriously,” she said.

“A resolution to this dispute is simple. But if employers remain intent on slashing pensions and exploiting staff who have kept this sector afloat during a pandemic then campuses will face strike action before Christmas, which will escalate into spring with re-ballots and further industrial action.”

National Union of Students national president Larissa Kennedy said: “Students have a rich history of standing shoulder to shoulder with university staff, who have seen their pensions, pay and conditions slashed in recent years.

“With vice chancellors’ average total pay packets rising to £269,000 per year, it’s clear employers can afford to resolve their dispute with UCU over staff pay, which has fallen by an average of 20% in real terms since 2009,” she said.