A number of university staff from institutions across Yorkshire and Humberside are set to travel to London to take part in UNISON’s lobby of parliament tomorrow (Tuesday).
The lobby, which is part of the union’s Fund Our Future campaign, will act as an opportunity for staff to meet with their MPs to discuss the crisis in higher education – including the lack of funding, threats to courses, job cuts and what needs to be done.
Recent UNISON research shows more than a thousand staff members have already left their jobs at universities across Yorkshire and Humberside, with hundreds more still at risk. This is in part due to institutions facing a combined budget shortfall of more than £150m.
UNISON has also found that over half* of universities across the UK are proposing job cuts which would affect academic, administrative and support staff.
The union says that since 2010, the pay received by staff it represents has reduced by 28% in real terms, with an alarming 75% of workers telling UNISON they are concerned about coping with the cost of living, and affording necessities such as food, energy, and housing.
Two-thirds (66%) of support employees have told UNISON they’ve worked above their contracted hours without overtime, while a similar number (63%) say workload has increased in the past 12 months.
Other issues raised by workers are staffing reductions in their team (51%) and feeling undervalued by the employer (61%).
This alarming feedback from support staff working in higher education demonstrates the seriousness of the financial problem in the sector, says UNISON.
More than three-quarters (78%) of staff are worried about their job security, the union adds.
The Office for Students expects that in 2025-26, more than two-thirds (72%) of universities could be spending more money than they have coming in.
Higher education staff from across the country will come together tomorrow (Tuesday) lunchtime for the UNISON lobby at Westminster.
UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Neelam Bhambra-Hilton said: “There is no doubt that the higher education sector is in an incredibly concerning financial position, and staff are being hit hard as a result.
“This parliamentary lobby is a vital opportunity for workers to tell MPs just how bad it is, and make them understand how perilous the situation has become.
“Hopefully this will be a step towards fixing some of the issues the higher education sector is facing.”
