It’s our jobs and our future we’re striking about.

We urge all members of UCU  to support your union and the fight for our jobs and our future by taking action on Thursday 24^th March. GCU’s management has cynically stated:

“The local UCU ballot results were combined with those at other institutions, so we are unable to assess whether strike action was supported locally.”

Well we know how to show them that we support the action – so make sure you join the picket lines.

This is not just a pay claim. We are striking is because we are worried about our jobs. This is a local and a national issue.  We do not need to remind you about the immediate threat to 108 posts at GCU or the review of academic posts planned for September. Nationally all of the unions participating in the pay negotiations have collectively sought a commitment from the employers to create a real framework around job security. But the employers have failed to engage.

Staff are the most important asset a university has – but our employers see us as a cost. 400 000 jobs are at risk nationally and 4000 of those jobs are in Scottish institutions. We accuse the employers of an irresponsible and reckless mindset that will do irreparable damage to the higher education sector and not only to our own future, but to the future of our young people and our economy.

We are striking because of pay. GCU management has helped steel our resolve.  While we had an imposed 0.45% pay rise, 41 members of staff are over – and some including GCU’s executive well over – the £70,000 mark. And don’t believe their propaganda that this has anything to do with national bargaining. It hasn’t. So when they say “… we do not believe that taking industrial action in any way helps us cope with the challenging financial situation,” they are not talking about their personal financial situation. They are not being challenged.  We are. With inflation at 4% we have been hit with a pay cut. So have many workers, but across the board pay increases have been running at 3%. We are trailing way behind even that.

Make no mistake about it. If we do not demonstrate or capacity to take effective action on Thursday 24^th it will taken that we lack the resolve. We do not. Let management know on Thursday.

You are not required to tell your line manager that you intend to strike on Thursday – so if you are asked contact your local TU rep. Note that if you are asked after Thursday whether you did take strike action you must answer truthfully.

Remember – it’s our jobs and our future that is at stake.

See you on the picket line on Thursday

GC UCU executive