02 March 2006

Strike action will be ongoing if pay not improved, warn Welsh university lecturers at final union conference

At the final annual conference of NATFHE Wales this weekend, lecturers will repeat their message to Welsh universities to improve lecturers’ pay or face continuous strike action.

The conference will be held in Cardiff on the eve of a national strike in universities across the UK by members of NATFHE – The University & College Lecturers’ Union, and its sister union, the Association of University Teachers. On June 1, the two unions will merge creating the University and College Union (UCU).

Last month, members of both unions voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action resulting in a one-day strike to be held on Tuesday (7 March). The following day (Wednesday, March 8) they will begin a boycott of assessment duties. This could disrupt the progression and graduation process for tens of thousands of degree students.

The two unions highlight that substantial extra money is being ploughed into higher education and have called for it to be spent improving lecturers’ salaries, which have fallen 40% below those of comparable professionals over the last 20 years.

In Wales, the Assembly Government has provided an extra stream of money to higher education institutions in the academic year 2006/7. It has also put a further £10m into the national pot for higher education. In addition, Welsh universities may raise extra money through the introduction of flexible fees, from September 2007. NATFHE Wales says the amount of extra money per university going into higher education in Wales is equivalent to the new money going into England’s HE institutions.

NATFHE and the AUT have submitted a pay claim for 23% over three years to the Universities and Colleges’ Employers Association, which represents UK-wide universities in pay negotiations. UCEA has failed to make a pay offer and is refusing to hold talks with the unions unless they suspend their plans to strike.

Margaret Phelan, NATFHE official in Wales, said:

‘It is very sad that our final NATFHE Wales conference looks set to be overshadowed by the first strike in Welsh universities for over a decade.

‘All Welsh lecturers are asking for is that some of the new money that is being pumped into universities is spent putting their pay on to a level playing field with comparable professions. Striking is a last resort for us but things have got so bad our members felt that there was no other option.

‘NATFHE is looking to the Welsh Assembly to support the country’s higher education lecturers in the same way that it did further education lecturers in Wales.’

Notes to editors
NATFHE Wales conference will take place on:
Saturday March 4 from 9.30am.
The conference will be held at:
The Thistle Hotel
Park Place
Cardiff
South Wales
CF10 3UD

Contacts
Margaret Phelan, NATFHE national official in Wales: 07977-562 669
Vicky Wilks, press officer: 020-7520 3207/07970-383 995

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