Striking university staff gathered at the Exeter Phoenix to mark the eighth and final day of the nationwide industrial action. At 11.30am, University and College Union (UCU) members marched from Stocker Road and walked into the city centre. The march ended at the Exeter Phoenix, where a rally was held. Exeter UCU President Sharon Strawbridge […]
UCU Strike 2019
Precarious and non-academic Exeter staff affirm the current strike action
The focus of the UCU strike has shifted from 2018 to include precarious contracts and the poor working conditions of non-academic support staff. On 22 February 2018, UCU members went on strike for an unprecedented 14 days over changes made to their pension benefit. However, the current action also comes in response to a separate […]
Labour candidate Ben Bradshaw stands with striking staff
Ben Bradshaw, Labour candidate for Exeter, today joined striking university staff on the Streatham picket line. Speaking to Exeposé, Bradshaw confirmed his support for the “local members of the UCU union and the students who are supporting them in their strike. “I’m a trade unionist myself, and I wanted to show solidarity with people who […]
University staff speak out against “brutalising” contracts
University staff are angry that their “brutalising working conditions” have seen “no improvement” in the last two decades. The Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) have chosen to strike on several issues, including the increase in casualised and precarious teaching contracts. Day two of the eight-day industrial action period saw university staff braving the rain across […]
“It’s the last option we have” University staff strikes over pensions and pay begin in Exeter
University staff members took to the picket lines across Streatham and Penryn today to protest against freefalling working conditions and changes to their pension benefits. The University and Colleges Union (UCU), the largest Higher Education union in the world, have announced eight days of industrial action that will run from 25 November to 4 December. […]