Sheffield Hallam lecturers begin five more days of strike action after pay deductions

Sheffield Hallam University staff have begun five days of strike action from today after their employer deducted all pay from those taking part in the marking and assessment boycott.

The boycott covers all marking and assessment at 145 UK universities, whether it be in writing, online, or verbally.

According to the University and College Union (UCU), “Staff are striking because Sheffield Hallam is deducting 100% of the pay of staff taking part in the marking and assessment boycott, despite staff continuing to teach, lecture and support students as normal.” The start of these strikes follows two previous days of strikes on 25th and 26th May in response to the deduction.

The new dates are as follows:

Wednesday 31st May

Thursday 1st June

Friday 2nd June

Wednesday 7th June

Thursday 8th June

The UCU explains that this will continue until the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) “makes an improved offer in the ongoing pay and working conditions dispute”.

They also state that, since 2009, low pay offers have caused salaries to fall behind inflation by 25 per cent.

Their article then continues to claim that “Sheffield Hallam has an income of £315m and has £224m in the bank”, and “should be trying to resolve the dispute instead of impoverishing staff”.

UCU regional official Julie Kelley said: “Sheffield Hallam should be battering down the door down to employer body UCEA and demanding it gets back to the negotiating table. That is the only way this dispute will be resolved. Instead, it is enforcing a brutal pay docking regime on staff fighting for a fair deal.”

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Hallam can afford to pay staff more and only has itself to blame for the current disruption. Our members will be on the picket line for five days unless the university ends its punitive pay deductions.”

In a statement to The Sheffield Tab, a Sheffield Hallam University spokesperson said, “As a university, our overriding priority during industrial action is to minimise potential disruption for students and the wider university community. We will make every effort to keep our students and staff informed of the latest information.”

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