Protesters gather in York to join national UCU strike

The group from the University of York gathered in Exhibition Square in the city to join staff from 57 other UK universities and are walking out for three consecutive days ending on Friday.

Striking staff are also on picket lines at the university’s main entrances from 8am, including Heslington Hall and Heslington Lane and on Heslington West campus. There will also be a a daily rally held from 10am to 10.30am outside Heslington Hall.

Protesters in Exhibition Square in York earlier today.

Jon Fanning, University of York UCU vice president and H&S representative, said: "As a member of the University and College Union (UCU), I am currently taking strike action which members of UCU voted for through democratic processes.

"This is part of a national dispute that calls upon universities across the UK to address falling pay, the gender and ethnic pay gap, the over-reliance on insecure employment practices and unsafe workloads.

"In addition, proposed changes to our USS pension scheme, based on a misleading valuation, will require us to pay in more to get out a lot less, with a less secure income and reduced protection from inflation on retirement.

"At national level, UCU has pursued all the means available to it to negotiate and resolve these issues, and was left with no alternative but to initiate the vote on strike action. Taken together, these issues have a huge detrimental impact on student experience. So the campaign is equally about safeguarding this and why NUS nationally, and YUSU locally, are standing in solidarity with UCU.

"I will not, therefore, be able to support students by being available on campus or accessing emails during this time."

The UCU has warned that action will escalate in the new year if employers continue to ignore staff demands.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said it is "deeply regrettable" that staff have been forced into taking industrial action again.

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