BREAKING: Cambridge UCU will strike in 2022-23

Today (24/10), the national University and College Union (UCU) announced its ballot results, with members voting across the country in favour of strikes.

Members of Cambridge UCU have confirmed to The Tab that Cambridge UCU will definitely be striking this year. This will be the fifth year  in a row of UCU strikes in Cambridge.

At this time, dates for the strikes have not yet been announced, nor have the regional turnout numbers for individual branches.

Dr Tom Hobson, Cambridge UCU Branch Secretary, commented that it was “probably the highest turnout we’ve ever had at Cambridge” for a ballot.

Members of the union balloted around two key issues – pay and working conditions (which have been down 25 per cent since 2009, as per the UCU website) and the dispute over the 35 per cent proposed pension cuts by USS.

Cambridge UCU will be striking across both issues. The issues are explained in more detail here, with reference to last year’s strikes in Cambridge.

On the issue of pay and working conditions, national turnout for the vote was 57.8 per cent, of which 81.9 per cent of members voted in favour of strikes nationally. On the issue of USS pensions, national turnout for the vote was 60.2 per cent, of which 84.9 per cent of members voted in favour of strikes.

Since the change of laws in 2016, it has been a requirement for any union calling national ballots to meet a 50 percent threshold turnout in the ballot for results to be considered actionable.

As per UCU General Secretary Dr Jo Grady, UCU has become the “first educational union” to win ballots on a national level since the change in legislature.

This is a live story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

The University of Cambridge has been contacted for comment.

Feature image credits: Patrick Dolan