Non-academic staff members at the University of Gloucestershire are demanding a pay rise from the university management.
The staff have expressed their frustration on the financial decision from the university. This includes the recent purchase of the brand-new City Campus in the heart of Gloucester City centre, for £75 million.
The management have stated that they cannot provide the pay rise for the non-academic staff across the department.
Non-academic staff include the librarian, IT technician, and administrative support of the university.
Joe Sucksmith, the Unison member of University of Gloucestershire, has explained that the staff are not happy with how the University’s management strategy leads to shortages of their money.
“The university still got an awful lot of money in reserves before buying the City Campus”, Joe says, “We are questioning the financial decision, and decision making from the management”, he adds.
Joe admits that the staff are anxious about losing their jobs.
“The message from the university is suggesting that they are really a financially constrained university”, Joe said, “If they’re not also on the money as they’re not like other universities that have a big fund”, Joe said, “they’re giving fear to us (the staff) that we are most likely going to lose our jobs”, Joe added.
The latest offer from the University regarding pay was 1.4%, which Joe says is another real term pay cut in a row; however, the staff have declined the pay rise proposal from the University.
Joe said that Unison had tried to negotiate with management but they haven’t reached a conclusion.
