“Undervalued” staff speak out

20 years our salary has decreased.”

UCU strike action is currently taking place in Exeter and across the country, with the first day of strike action having taken place on Wednesday 1st February. The final of the 18 days of the strikes over pay, pensions and working conditions, will take place on March 22nd, unless negotiations reach a conclusion prior to this date. Staff on the picket lines have spoken to Exeposé about their experiences, calling their current working conditions "unsustainable."

Strikers at the February 1st picket line were from many different university faculties — it was estimated that roughly 150 UCU members were present on this first day of action, and that there were possibly twice that number who were on strike but not able to be present at the picket lines. One member of staff called this turnout “a hugely historical moment.”

According to UCU figures, the real terms pay of academic staff has dropped by 25 per cent since 2009. Staff testified to Exeposé about the adverse effect that the fall in their real terms pay has had on their lives, with staff even detailing how some of their colleagues are on universal credit or have had to go to food banks “in order to live.” They claim that University of Exeter hasn’t properly considered how the fall in real terms pay, especially against the background of the current cost-of-living crisis, has affected staff. “The University hasn’t put into consideration that the cost of living has increased, but over the past 10 to

Another striker highlighted how “our wages have been eroded compared to the [value of our] professions”

Pension cuts were also a key area of concern for staff, with the UCU estimating that the package of pensions cuts made last year amounts to a rough average decrease of 35 per cent for each member of staff. Striking staff claimed this could “then amount to hundreds and thousands of pounds” lost, although this differs depending on the length of service of the individual. Exeposé spoke to one member of staff who claimed they had seen their pension cut 43 per cent in the last few years.

Staff also criticised the current working conditions at the University, arguing that they were “exhausted” and “broken” by excessive workloads.

UCU figures from June 2022 estimate that university staff are, on average, doing two days extra unpaid work. Staff suggested to Exeposé that they couldn’t “get all the work done in the day that we would like to do to support students.” Many staff reported experiencing burnout or mental health problems as a result of the intensity of their workload.

Many staff reported experiencing burnout or mental health problems as a result of... their workload

Addressing students’ concerns around missing 18 days of valuable learning time, multiple staff emphasised that “our working conditions are students' learning conditions,” and argued that “the price of not striking is going to be cumulatively worse because then conditions will continue to degrade.” Staff suggested that students supporting strikers was in their own interests, with one member of staff stating “ultimately the best thing students can do is support the strike and try to put pressure on the University to change things so that we hopefully won’t have to strike for long.” Staff also suggested that provoking student frustration was “part of the uni tactic to get the students to turn on the teachers.” They suggested students could even help affect change themselves by contacting the Vice-Chancellor.

Staff told Exeposé that they did not want to be on strike but felt compelled to, given the decline in their working conditions. One member of staff stated that they recognised that they “have very nice jobs, jobs that we all enjoy and we really appreciate, and we value our time with students. So, none of us here today want to be on strike and it causes a huge amount of tension and stress for us.” They also suggested that it would be a struggle for many to afford “a full 18 days of strikes” but were making a “sacrifice” in the hope of securing better pay, pensions and working conditions in future. Staff also wanted students to be reminded that they do not get paid on strike days. Strikers expressed concerns about staff casualisation and short term contracts, which leads to uncertainty and job insecurity for many members of university staff. One member of staff described how