Cardiff University lecturers will not be striking this year

Following the strikes of the last academic year, it seemed likely that Cardiff University lecturers would be striking again after the University and College Union (UCU) declared lecturers could vote in a ballot for more strikes as many had received a 'raw deal' from their employers.

The Universities and Colleges Employers' Association (UCEA) made a final offer of two per cent at pay talks in May, however college staff have seen their pay decline by as much as a quarter over the past decade.

As a result of this the UCU declared that there would be a ballot in October to decide whether lecturers across the UK would strike again. However, after the vote took place on the 19th of October, the outcome revealed that Cardiff University is one of the universities which will not be striking again.

The vote, which took place last week, required a 50 percent turnout and Cardiff did not reach this, therefore lecturers will not be striking. The UCU have criticised these trade union laws after many members who voted for action will not be able to strike.

Overall, the voting ballots showed that 85 per cent of members in further education colleges agreed to back strike action, and 69 per cent of members in voting universities were also in favour of more strikes.

Despite this seemingly decisive outcome, trade union laws mean that only institutions with a 50 per cent turnout can act on the results – with the exception of Northern Ireland. This means that only 10 universities and four colleges in the UK will be able to strike.

Cardiff students experienced weeks of strikes earlier this year

According to the UCU Head of Policy, Matt Waddup: "UCU members will be meeting in the coming days to discuss the outcome of the ballots and the next steps in our campaign for a better deal for staff."

Cardiff was one of the many universities that didn't meet the criteria of the ballot, causing frustration amongst staff and those in the UCU.