Cambridge University staff walk out on strike after 'below-inflation' pay offer

31 January 2024 , 09:58

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Staff at Cambridge University have walked out on strike (Image: Getty)

Staff at Cambridge University, including those who work in the library, engineering department and estate management, went on strike on Wednesday over a pay dispute.

Around 450 members of the Unite union will be striking until Friday. Unite claims that the university has offered a below-inflation increase of between 5% and 6%, which was due to start last August.

The union's members, some earning less than £23,000 a year, are demanding above-inflation rises to cope with the cost of living in what Unite says is one of the most expensive parts of the UK outside London. General secretary Sharon Graham stated: "Cambridge University has been enforcing below-inflation pay rises for too long and our members have had enough."

She added, "It might be a prestigious university, but that doesn't put food on the table or pay the bills of essential workers doing vital roles across the university. Our members have the full support of Unite as they stand up to their employer and demand a fair pay deal."

A University of Cambridge spokesman responded: "We are committed to open and constructive dialogue with Unite and have commissioned a pay review which is being progressed as a matter of urgency. A special joint negotiating committee with representatives from all three recognised unions, including Unite, has been constituted to discuss the pay review.

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"We regret therefore this industrial action, but we will make every effort to minimise the impact."

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Lawrence Matheson