Strike on in Scottish universities tomorrow

Staff will be on picket lines from 7.30am at Glasgow, Edinburgh, Stirling, Aberdeen, St Andrews and Dundee. There are rallies in Glasgow and Edinburgh.

In Edinburgh the rally starts at 12pm in Bristo Square. In Glasgow the rally also starts at 12pm at Adelaides on Bath Street. Map here 

Lectures will be cancelled and buildings shut as staff from four trade unions take action. They are angry that, as the cost of living has risen, their pay has been slashed in real terms by 13% since 2009.

University staff first walked out on 31 October when members of UCU, Unison and Unite took strike action. Tomorrow they will be joined by their colleagues in the EIS trade union.

Staff were offered a 1% pay rise this year, despite their pay plummeting by 13% in real terms in last four years.

Students have backed the striking staff and called on the employers to improve a pay offer for staff. The president of the National Union of Students (NUS) Scotland said there is a growing consensus that the employers' offer of a 1% pay rise is unacceptable, and does not sufficiently reward the hard work put in by staff.

NUS said universities had to make a real effort to pay university employees what they deserve, not just to bully them into backing down. Talks last week aimed at ending the strike failed last week when the employers refused to increase the rejected 1% pay that caused the dispute.

Staff will be on picket lines in towns and cities across the UK from early in the morning, with many then making their way to local rallies in their area. 

UCU Scotland president, Dave Anderson, said: 'Staff in universities across Scotland are taking strike action tomorrow to say enough is enough. They have seen their pay slashed in real terms since 2009 and this year's miserly pay offer, at a time of rising bills, was the straw that broke the camel's back.

'Staff love their jobs, but their goodwill cannot continue to be taken for granted. Nobody wants to take strike action and lose a day's pay, but we feel we have been left with no alternative.'

Gordon Maloney, President of NUS Scotland, said: 'NUS Scotland continues to strongly back higher education union members' request for a reasonable pay rise and urges universities to offer fresh proposals that will substantially reverse the 13% real-terms cut in wages staff have endured over the past four years.

'With EIS members now joining UCU Scotland, UNISON and UNITE in taking action, there is clearly a growing consensus that the employers' offer of a 1% pay rise is unacceptable, and does not sufficiently reward the hard work put in by not only lecturers and support staff but those on lower wages as well, such as porters, technicians, and secretaries.

'Fair pay is crucial in maintaining well-motivated staff in our universities, and we're clear that the disruption caused by this erosion of conditions is infinitely worse than one or two days of missed classes.  No one wants to see strikes at universities continue, least of all staff, which is why we need to see universities make a real effort to secure an agreement that will see university employees paid what they deserve, not just to bully them into backing down.'