Academics and support staff at the University of Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin University went on strike at sites across Cambridge yesterday, in protest at what is effectively a pay cut for the next year.

Picket lines were formed at various lecture locations around the University, including the Sidgwick and Downing sites. Many students also boycotted lectures and seminars to join the picket lines in solidarity with the workers
on strike.

The protest culminated in a rally outside Senate House at midday. Representatives from Unison, CUSU and the Labour Party spoke to the crowd of about 150 students who had gathered to hear the speeches. Daniel Zeicher, the Labour parliamentary candidate for Cambridge, told the crowd that the call for higher wages was “an entirely reasonable demand.”

In an effort to highlight the politics of salaries, Zeicher called attention to the government’s tax cuts for the wealthy, supported by Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge Julian Huppert. In response to this, an angry crowd member shouted: “Labour have done nothing!”

Many of the speakers drew parallels between the fight for decent pay and the fight for a decent education. Mordecai Paechter, a first year student from King’s who was speaking on behalf of CUSU called the one per cent pay rise offer “insulting”.

“The students will support the staff all the way,” he said.

Andy Murray from Unite was similarly emphatic in his speech. “We are sending a very clear message to employers that we are not prepared to accept a measly one per cent pay rise,” he shouted to the crowd.

Glyn Hawker from Unison gave a rousing speech to close the rally. “The University would not be open ever were it not for the hardworking staff,” she told the audience.

“It’s time they treat us with the respect we deserve…we’re done with being disrespected. We are the University!”

Before the crowd dispersed, Hawker led an enthusiastic chant of “They say cut back, we say fight back!”

This is the first time that members from of all three trade unions in Cambridge have coordinated; the universities’ staff who took strike action are all members of Unite, Unison or the University and College Union (UCU). They voted in favour of the strike motion after being offered only a one per cent pay rise for the next year. The current rate of CPI inflation is 2.7 per cent, meaning that employees are facing a decline in wages in real terms.

In the past four years, according to a statement from Cambridge UCU, staff wages have gone down by about 13 per cent in real terms. On average, 60 per cent of members across the three trade unions voted in favour of the strike.

In a statement from Cambridge UCU that was released earlier this month, the union said that their members “have not rushed into this decision to take industrial action, and are very keen to see the dispute resolved without the need to take it.” They called on the University’s Vice-Chancellor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz to support their claim.

However, by Wednesday evening no agreement between the universities and the unions had been reached, and the strike went ahead as planned.

The strike was supported by Cambridge Universities Labour Club (CULC), who passed a motion to this effect at their policy forum on Friday 25th October. The motion stated: “CULC resolves to support lecturers and university staff in their day of industrial action on 31 October. We will join with UCU, UNISON and Unite in calling upon the Vice-Chancellors of the University of Cambridge and Anglia Ruskin University to pressure the UCEA [Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association] to open negotiations on the pay dispute.”

A statement from the University of Cambridge released before the strike reassured concerned students that academic life would continue as normal: “The numbers of staff involved in this strike are relatively small. The University will be ensuring there is no disruption to the students’ study.”

Some lectures and classes were cancelled, but most of these were rescheduled to a later date.