Lecturers consider strikes to end ‘freefall’ in university funding

Lecturers at British universities are considering a ballot to take industrial action this year in a bid to halt the “freefall” of funding for higher education. 

The University and College Union (UCU) had originally decided to ballot members back in December of last year, but pushed back a final decision after union figures voiced concerns over the feasibility of a national strike. 

Discussions have since continued, amid a backdrop of increasingly widespread local actions taken by individual branches. 

Universities including Newcastle, Dundee, and East Anglia have announced strike action to protest cuts to jobs and educational courses. Others like Cardiff and Sheffield are now balloting members, while staff at Coventry have threatened strike action after being faced with cuts to nearly 100 jobs. 

For Warwick, whose finances are in a uniquely strong position compared to most of British higher education, there are no current plans by the local UCU branch to strike. 

While we at Warwick are at present not threatened with closure of departments and widespread loss of jobs, our colleagues in the Midlands and across the country are

Caroline Proctor, Warwick UCU Chair

Caroline Proctor, Warwick UCU Chair, told The Boar that the branch was working with the University to minimise job losses and that consequently “we have not discussed undertaking local industrial action”. 

Notably, Warwick was one of the only universities in the country to actually record a net increase in employees last year, gaining 461 full time staff in 2023/24. 

Proctor did note, however, that: “At Warwick, departments are being encouraged not to recruit to open roles, certain research grants are no longer viable, and budgets are being restrained.” 

“UCU is a national union,” she added. “While we at Warwick are at present not threatened with closure of departments and widespread loss of jobs, our colleagues in the Midlands and across the country are.” She highlighted job cuts at Coventry University in particular, condemning the fire-and-rehire practices used there as “absolutely horrific”. 

“We are looking to support Coventry and other local universities to fight back, by petitioning the government, attending solidarity rallies, donating to strike funds, and supporting their picket lines. As a branch we have always looked to support those most at risk, and in this case that’s our friends and colleagues in the Midlands and across the country.” 

In its original consultative ballot, UCU members voted by a narrow margin of 53% for further industrial action

In its original consultative ballot, UCU members voted by a narrow margin of 53% for further industrial action. Turnout was just 27%, leaving some prominent voices within the union to suggest holding a formal ballot would be ill-advised. For any chance of a motion to succeed, it would need participation from at least half the voting members of the union. 

Students, for their part, have been divided on the prospect of renewed industrial action by lecturers so soon after the previous bout of strikes ended in 2023. Final years at Warwick will remember the marking boycotts which defined these disputes, causing disruption to coursework and the assessing of final exams for many. 

At least initially, however, any memories of this do not appear to dampen student support: a Boar survey of readers found a plurality of respondents – 46% – supported a marking boycott by lecturers “for higher pay/job security”. 35% of respondents were opposed, while just under one in five were unsure. 

On behalf of the UCU, Proctor told The Boar they were “heartened to hear that students would support us if we were forced to undertake such action, as we have a long and proud history of fighting alongside students for our shared working and learning conditions”. 

For UCU campaigners, who have consistently called for intervention from the state to bail out struggling universities, there was further common ground with students on this issue. An overwhelming majority of responses to the Boar survey – 79% – agreed that the Government should do more to support universities financially. Just 15% disagreed. 

Some recent action, of course, has been taken by the Department for Education, who announced a minor rise to university tuition fees in November of last year. This strategy of increasing the ultimate burden on students themselves, however, likely won’t go down well. Asked whether they received “value for money” on their university course, only a little under one in four responses thought so. A decisive 77% thought otherwise or were unsure. 

Staff should protest for fair play, but they shouldn’t use students as bargaining chips!

Student response to The Boar survey

For many, unhappiness appeared focused on contact hours: one student despaired as to why they were paying “nearly 10k a year for max 20 weeks of lessons”. Another student, who complained of having just 1,500 words of coursework per module per term for their PAIS course, voiced thoughts that could be regarded as unthinkable for a typical student: “I want to be worked harder.” 

It would be easy for such dissatisfaction with university to bleed into an unhappiness directed at lecturers themselves, especially if industrial action were to seriously disrupt the student year again. One response opined how: “Sometimes it feels like we pay 9k just for lecturers to read off slides and have us self-teach through readings.” A final student shared their belief that: “Staff should protest for fair pay, but they shouldn’t use students as bargaining chips!” 

When approached, a University spokesperson expressed confidence to The Boar in the University’s financial outlook. They noted: “We are projecting a surplus this year, and the Government is due to publish a White Paper on reforms to the Higher Education sector in the summer. All universities will carry out reviews following this.” 

They added: “Currently, we have not been informed of any ballots for industrial action.”