Beat the 50% threshold - vote today

The more branches that reach the 50% turnout threshold which the law requires for industrial action, the better the outcome we can get from negotiations.

The need for action is clear

We need to get employers to do something about the issues that are central to our pay ballot: not just pay, but equality, workload, and job security as well.

Watch this short video in which Alison, a casually employed member, explains why the fight for more secure work matters to her. There are 70,000 staff on casual contracts like Alison's and a similar number on fixed-term contracts, as UCU has highlighted. In addition:

• women and BME staff are more likely to be on fixed-term and casual contracts

• BME staff suffer in pay and promotions compared with their white colleagues

• our employers' own research confirms that staff pay has declined significantly in the last decade

• our universities are spending significantly less on staff than the OECD or EU average.

For more information on the ballot, read these FAQs.

Support for the dispute

There is strong support for our dispute both within and beyond UCU:

• UCU has resolved to increase the number of days' reimbursement for strike action for all members compared with the 2018 USS dispute, and we have also increased the amount of reimbursement available to members in lower subscription bands

• Angela Rayner has recognised the damage done to our working conditions and called on employers to return to negotiations

• the National Union of Students has confirmed that it will stand 'shoulder to shoulder' with us.

Those who are familiar with the sector recognise how staff are being squeezed and want to see us succeed in improving our conditions. The only way to do that is to vote yes for industrial action and give our negotiators the leverage they need to get a better deal.

Jo Grady
UCU general secretary