Ballot papers sent to Black Country university and college union members over strike action
Academics and higher education staff across the Black Country are voting today (Wednesday) for industrial action.
Wolverhampton University staff are already in formal dispute with their employer after courses were slashed earlier in the summer.
UCU leaders held an online rally last night where they urged members to vote yes for industrial action as part of the UCU Rising campaign.
Wolverhampton UCU branch tweeted: "Many of us are back at work this week, trying to summon the will and the energy to give our students a decent education. It was becoming impossible even before the WLV redundancies.
"The ballot papers for UCU Rising are out. Vote YES!"
A spokesman for Wolverhampton UCU said: "Wolverhampton UCU is in formal dispute with management over the current course closures and staff redundancies.
"We have had messages of solidarity and support from many UCU branches and other trade union organisations."
Ballot papers have been sent out to members for industrial action after UCU leaders rejected a three per cent pay rise by the Universities and College Employers Association and complained about the rise of casual contracts in academia.
A UCU spokesman said: "The final offer made by Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) is well below inflation (which stands at RPI 11.8 per cent as of June 2022). This means yet another real terms pay cut for staff during the cost of living crisis in the United Kingdom.
"The value of pay in higher education fell by 17.6 per cent relative to inflation between 2009 and 2019. Based on the employers' offer and the most recent inflation data, that figure is now approximately 25%. With inflation forecast to keep increasing in the short to medium term, salaries will continue to fall further and further short of the cost of living."
