'Every penny' of strikers' lost pay must help students, says union

The union wants "every penny" to support students facing financial hardship

A university union wants "every penny" that would have gone to striking staff to help students in financial hardship.

The University and College Union (UCU) has written to the University of the West England University (UWE) with the plea.

It came after hundreds of staff walked out for three days in November in a row over pay and working conditions.

The university said it was "already providing" significantly increased resources to help students.

A university spokeswoman added these can be accessed through Student Hardship Grants and Student Wellbeing Services.

It will also continue to work with the Students' Union to support its student community, she added.

The union wrote to UWE's vice-chancellor Professor Steve West directly with its request.

Energy bills

It has called for pay rises to help its members during the cost-of-living crisis and said a 3% rise for 2022/23 was not enough when inflation is running around 10%.

UCU regional official Nick Varney said: 'Professor Steve West's £330,000 salary completely insulates him from the cost-of-living crisis staff and students are facing.

"Yet he has chosen to dock the pay of striking workers mere days before Christmas.

"He now needs to do the right thing and give that pay to students facing financial hardship this winter."

Hundreds of UWE staff went on strike alongside workers at 149 other universities.

They held a rally in Bristol calling for an increased pay offer, fewer temporary contracts for employees and a change to their pension terms.

Speaking at the time, Mr West, who is also president of Universities UK, said universities were under increasing financial pressure.

"The problem is our income streams are not keeping pace with inflation," he said.

"My university's energy bills are about £6m per annum, next year they will jump to £20m and of course all of those pressures have to be absorbed by the university."

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