Support staff at Sussex University and 13 others in England are being balloted for industrial action in a dispute over pay.
Their union Unison said that higher education workers including cleaners, IT technicians and library staff were voting on whether to take industrial action after university employers put forward a wage rise “way below” inflation.
The ballot of staff at Sussex and universities in Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, London, Luton, Manchester and Winchester will end next month.
The 2023-24 pay offer is worth between 5 per cent and 8 per cent depending on salary level, with lower-paid workers getting the highest percentage rise, the union said.
Unison’s head of education, Mike Short, said: “For years university support staff have received wage rises far below the cost of living.
“As bills and the cost of food continue to go through the roof, it’s essential that employers come up with much more than this inadequate sum.
“Staff are already leaving for better-paid jobs in supermarkets, warehouses and coffee shops.
“If universities don’t start paying more competitive wages, the sector risks a staffing crisis that would spell disaster for millions of students.”
The current offer masks the circa 30% decline in real terms over the past 12 years BUT unlike Dr’s they’re only asking for inflation ie nit ANOTHER pay cut
The risk of comparing percentages is that they can hide a more inconvenient conversation. In the case of Junior Doctors, the 35% sounds like a lot, but you have to consider the average rate for them is £13 per hour.