A further round of TWO DAYS of strike action will be taken by our branch on the 2nd & 3rd of September. JOIN US!

These two days will include protests in Birmingham – keep an eye on our updates for more information. Also, if you’ve organised protests in Birmingham yourself, we’d appreciate your advice/support.

The motion passed at our members’ meeting on the 22nd of August reads:

Strike action and pay, equality and working conditions dispute

This Branch notes the latest result of negotiations with the University, namely that the University has failed to offer anything in respect of the 2018 pay settlement or a firm commitment to foundation living wage accreditation. Instead, the University’s offer as it stands is:

• To match the living wage for directly employed University staff for 3 years
• A 3% pay rise as part of 2019/20 pay negotiations
• Talks on the pay spine, gender pay gap and other demands from the joint report

This branch deeply regrets the continuing failure by University management to address any of the core demands put to them before strike action commenced.

In particular the failure to offer any sort of backdated settlement to address the real-terms pay cut in 2018 or to make any firm commitments on real living wage accreditation, pay spine revision or the gender pay gap shows the University is still failing to take seriously the strength of feeling on the part of staff about continually deteriorating pay and conditions

This branch also registers our frustration that the University is once again failing to make any movement or engage in any talks, giving the clear impression that they are only interested in talking when strike action is imminent.

This branch therefore resolves to:

• Take strike action on the 2nd and 3rd of September
• To use these strike days to call a protest in the city centre to unify the City of Birmingham in a call on the University to meet its obligation as a wealthy, prominent local employer and charity
• To continue to build links and draw on support from local politicians, other trade union groups and other prominent supporters of the campaign