What are we fighting for?
Over the past decade, our pay has fallen behind comparable professions by 20% - and prior to this, pay levels had already declined over many years. The problem of university staff being underpaid – and overworked – has been widely acknowledged both by government and by university management. Now universities are receiving a big injection of funding, from the government and top-up fees – but they still refuse to allocate any of this to increasing our salaries. AUT are demanding that at least one-third of the additional income should be spent on pay; this would give us a pay rise in real terms of 20% over the next 3 years. On a turnout of 51% (better than many local and general elections!), AUT members voted 64% in favour of strike action and 81% in favour of action short of a strike. However you may have voted, the democratic principles underpinning a trade union mean you are now bound to support both aspects of industrial action. The employers have refused even to meet us to negotiate; it needs firm pursuit of the industrial action by all our members to force them to return to the negotiating table.
Strike on March 7th
The industrial action will be launched on Tuesday March 7th with a one day strike. This will give a public and visible opening to our campaign. Do not go to work on this day! Cancel all lectures, classes, meetings! It is important that you inform students why we are taking action – a letter has been circulated by email for this purpose, or material available at www.umaut.org.uk (Pay 2006) In order for the strike to serve its purpose, we need a really good turnout of pickets. Please give an hour or two of your time on Tuesday morning. If you are available, email aut@manchester.ac.uk to volunteer; or turn up to our Strike bases from 8am (Academy 2, Student Union Building, Oxford Road; Barnes Wallace) where placards, armbands etc will be available as well as tea and coffee! A rally will take place in All Saints Park at 1p.m, jointly with colleagues from MMU and elsewhere, following a march place from John Owens Building and the Dalton Building (MMU opposite BBC) at 12.30. We would ask that you make your way to either building for 12.30. We hope to arrange not just the usual inspiring speeches but also some entertainment.
Action short of a strike commencing March 8th
Making this stick is our only hope of bringing the employers back to the negotiating table. (You may recall that our previous such action in 2004 resulted in the Memorandum of Understanding – the benefits of which are now at last being realised through our recent “Interim Agreement” on pay.) This consists of: