At the start of December, UCU (University and Collages Union) branches up and down the country went out on strike.
The strike action at the University of Brighton is a continuation of the ‘4 fights’ that the UCU are committed to fighting. There are also strikes organised by the UCU in order to fight for pensions for older universities. This is not being fought in Brighton as the pension scheme is different for newer universities.
Ballots opened on the 18th of October and the ballots were returned in November. The UCU did not receive a mandate for a national strike, however in the branches where a mandate was returned, they voted for industrial action, over 50 branches nationally voted to a strike action of 3 days at the start of December 2021.
In Brighton, this manifested as 3 days of University staff going out on strike and ‘manning’ the picket lines at the university campuses. The final day of strike action also saw a protest march through the streets of Brighton followed by speeches at ‘The Level’. The UCU was joined on the march by members of UNISON, the GMB and the speeches featured speakers from these unions swell as other trade unions/ trade union supporters.
