Breaking: University of Sheffield staff back strike action

In a vote, University of Sheffield staff have said they will back strike action.

Members of the institution’s branch of the University and College Union (UCU) have “strongly voted in favour” of industrial action in an indicative ballot which opened last month.

The ballot aimed to gauge staff support before potentially holding a second vote that will authorise union officials to begin strike action. The result means that, should such a ballot be held, it is likely it will pass.

The Sheffield Tab understands that, should there be industrial action, it will most likely be seen in spring and that the absolute earliest it could began is April; meaning graduating students could be affected. When industrial action last took place at the University of Sheffield, a number of students graduated without knowing their final marks.

Addressing the concerns of students who could be affected, a Sheffield UCU spokesperson told The Sheffield Tab: “Every single staff member here relates in some way to students. It does impact them.

“But us not taking action – I actually think it would impact them more in the long run; because hopefully, by the action we take, we can stop the university from doing this.”

However, Sheffield UCU’s leaders hope that the university will negotiate with them on their demands.

Sheffield UCU is demanding that the university commits to no compulsory redundancies and reduces planned cuts to staff costs. In total, the university has said it wants to reduce spending on staff by £23m, with £9m of cuts planned for this year, and £14m of cuts next year.

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A spokesperson for Sheffield UCU said: “Our members have strongly voted in favour of proceeding to an official trade dispute ballot. The branch will be working with members to consider a range of strike action.”

The dispute between the UCU branch and the University of Sheffield began in November when, in a vote approved by at least 880 staff members, Sheffield UCU passed a vote of no confidence in the university’s executive board (UEB).

Previous negotiations over the past few months have not borne fruit. In December, the union lodged a collective grievance motion with the university. That motion mandated that the university meet at least twice with union officials for negotiations. Those negotiations did not result in a resolution.

Since cuts to staff spending were announced, the University of Sheffield has repeatedly pointed out that it has prioritised non-staff cuts.

Last semester, the University of Sheffield said that, pending a planning review (which has since been successful), it will be pausing the delivery of its “flagship” new Central Teaching Laboratory for at least a year. And in November, staff and students protested at the “sudden” closure of the Courtyard Café in the Management School building.

Today’s news mirrors a similar situation at Sheffield Hallam University. Hallam UCU are currently asking their members to approve a ballot for strike action over a delay to planned pay rises.

Ben Abell, branch secretary of Hallam UCU, asked members to vote for strikes in a video posted to YouTube

The financial struggles both Sheffield universities are facing are typical of the challenges the UK’s higher education sector is facing.

Falling international student numbers represents a significant loss of revenue to all British universities. Currently, most domestic students pay tuition fees of £9,250 per year, while international students pay a rate of £22,000 per year.

According to the Home Office, 263,400 sponsored study visa applications were made between July and September, down from 312,500 in the summer of 2023. This year at the University of Sheffield, there are 2,200 less foreign students compared to the 2022-23 academic year.

The University of Sheffield’s belief that international student numbers will remain at their current reduced level is a large part of the rationale for its current cost cutting programme.

Sheffield UCU has consistently argued that the university’s financial position doesn’t justify the current cuts.

Sheffield UCU has also criticised continued pay rises and bonuses for university leadership amid the university’s current financial situation. Earlier this month, The Sheffield Tab reported that vice chancellor Koen Lamberts had received a £23,000 pay rise.

The University of Sheffield has been contacted for comment but has not yet responded.

Featured image via YouTube and Sheffield UCU