Sheffield Hallam staff begin UCU strike action

Staff at Sheffield Hallam University have begun strike action amid a dispute over a delayed pay award.

Sheffield Hallam University delayed this academic year’s 2.7 per cent staff pay award, citing ongoing financial difficulties. The pay award was eventually implemented this month – however staff will not receive back pay for the seven month delay.

Member of Hallam’s branch of the University and College Union (UCU) voted 85 per cent in favour of strike action in a January ballot. In a branch meeting last week, 72 per cent voted in favour.

Around 60 people were in attendance on the picket line outside of the Owen Building and along Arundel Gate yesterday morning.

On the picket line, a spokesperson for Hallam UCU told The Sheffield Tab: “The turnout reflects the anger, the frustration, to be honest, the level of exhaustion in staff.”

They added: “People are overworked, they feel they can’t trust the university, and they feel fundamentally that all the attacks and money saving is on staff.”

Hallam UCU believes the effects of the university having “withheld seven months of our pay uplift” is approximately equivalent to £60 monthly pay and £40 pension contributions per the average full time staff salary.

This is the primary reason for the strike action, as the spokesperson explained “people are really struggling” with the cost of living. However, they also said there was a “bigger picture”.

Firstly, 160 academic staff and 295 professional services staff took voluntary severance in the last academic year – losses which have “huge holes in the institution and obviously it’s affected student experience”.

Secondly cited by Hallam UCU, was the investment in new buildings – such as three on Howard Street which cost £65m in the 2023/24 academic year. Another spokesperson called these “surplus to requirements”.

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Also in development is a satellite campus in London, which the spokesperson said had “no benefits for the students in Sheffield – which they should be caring about the most”.

Hallam UCU members will be on the picket lane again on Tuesday morning (25th March).

The spokesperson called the strike action “a show of strength” as they were being put in a position where it was “almost impossible” to deliver on student experience.

Addressing the university, they added: “I think our fundamental point is: please stop attacking your staff.”

Two further dates for strike action next week are yet to be decided on, although the university has been notified.

A spokesperson for Sheffield Hallam University told The Sheffield Tab: “We are disappointed that UCU has voted to take strike action. As always during any industrial action, our priority will be to do everything possible to minimise the impact on our students and wider university community.

“Like all universities, we have had to make tough decisions due to the well-documented financial challenges being faced across the higher education sector. One of those was to implement the annual nationally negotiated pay award for staff later than in previous years, in order to significantly reduce costs and protect jobs.

“With the overall financial picture for universities likely to be challenging for some time, we must continue to make the difficult choices required to reduce costs and increase income, in order to emerge in a sustainable position for the future.”