Stand with us on Thursday 6th February - a day of national action

Sadly there has been no change in the employer's position.  UCEA is not negotiating and we continue to get poorer.



It is utterly essential that we take a strong and determined stance once more - we must tell the employers once more that we are not happy about the risible 1% that has been forced upon us.  We must again tell our employer that we know it is not true there is no money in the pot to give us a decent pay rise, which would allow us to claw back some of the losses we have had to endure so far. 
 

We know that when Don Nutbeam came out on the picket line to tell us that there is no money in the pot ...

it wasn't true - there was enough money in the Higher Education pot to service his pay rise and bonus as well as those of most of the other Vice Chancellors around the UK.  Furthermore, Don sits on the UCEA committee and therefore has a direct input to the decision about your pay. 

It is only to be expected that the University will say that our strikes have had little to no effect.  And there are always those who maintain that they hadn't even noticed that we weren't in the office.  There are others who say that work went on as before without any interruption.  Some of that is true, in some areas.

However - pictures don't lie and these pictures from our last day of action show that we made a significant impact on the activities of the University: 

To show good faith we will continue to provide emergency cover for serious situations. 

For some of you, possibly those of you who are the only person in your office willing to stand up for better pay, this might be a tough time - it might be a hard to walk out of that door.  However, when you step outside that door, you will not be alone.  We are there together - in large numbers:

when you take strike action on Thursday, you will be fighting not just for your own pay packet but for the wages of your colleagues - yes, the ones that stay behind and work.  

What to do on the day:

• do not go to work - you do not have to ring up and let anyone know; you do not have to turn up and walk out - just do not go to work
• GET INVOLVED - volunteer for the picket line by emailing us at unison@soton.ac.uk or turn up at Union House (building 45 – see the map) at 0745hrs
• if you don't want to be an official picket - come and support your colleagues on the lines
• join in the meeting at building 37 at 1100hrs.
• Wear warm clothes and comfortable shoes - the weather is likely to be wet
• Finally - this is a national action.  Higher Education Institutions up and down the country are doing the same as we are and for the same reason - we are asking for a reasonable pay rise.  We have had a 13% pay cut in in real terms in the last 5 years and cannot afford to get any poorer.  The employer has now pushed through a 1% pay rise which is all that the UCEA would agree to - with a 10% rise in fuel bills, an unchanged rate of inflation of 2.7% and rises in rents and rates, that 1% is not going to go anywhere.  That 1 percent is already spent on the rent.  

Join us 

Hardship Payments:

UNISON is able to offer Hardship Payments for members going out on strike.

The criteria will be:
· Anyone striking for the 2nd time
· Members who are single parents or anyone with a partner who is also on strike – however, only one partner can get the hardship payment

· Members on a very low income or in exceptional circumstances
We can offer £40 if this is your second day of strike and £80 if this is your third day of strike. Payment will be equal for all who qualify. However, if there are a large number of claims, then the suggested payment above will be less due to the limited pot available. 

How to access the payments:
Members are asked to contact unison@soton.ac.uk after the strike. 

We look forward to seeing you out on the lines, fighting for Fair Pay in HE.