http://9jaflave..com/2013/11/uk-lecturers-embark-on-1-day-strike.html

It appears that lecturers in the UK have taken a cue from Nigeria’s Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), as they embarked on a one day strike yesterday.

Lecturers and staff of many universities across the United Kingdom under the umbrella of Universities and College Unions (UCU) embarked on a one day strike in protest of pay cuts on Thursday. This is the 1st national strike by the university lecturers and administrative staff over pay in 7 years.

The lecturers and staff maintained that there has been a consistent drop in salaries over the last 13 years despite huge funds being generated in the sector with fees for international students placed at over 10,000 pounds.

A senior lecturer of Economics at SOAS, Stephanie Blankenburg said the take home pay does not meet rising costs of living adding that the proposed 1% increase by employers is not good enough.

Another angle to the strike action is the call for increased funding of universities as austerity measures have made university education in the UK astronomical. This could herald a decline in face to face learning and a prompt rise in online degrees.

But Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), which represents and negotiates on behalf of the institutions has expressed disappointment at the strike and predicted there will be a low level impact on students.

UCEA said that according to the latest data available to them, 378,250 people work in the sector and of these, 29,538 or 7.8% voted from the 3 unions. Around 17,800 (60.3% of those who voted) voted in favour of strike action.

http://9jaflave..com/2013/11/uk-lecturers-embark-on-1-day-strike.html