This month, the purple and white placards reappeared in Sheffield. Despite the chilly Yorkshire wind, no one carrying one appeared to be bothered. This is becoming commonplace for Sheffield Hallam University employees. Perhaps too familiar. When the results of the vote were announced on May 5th, they were more than just a yes. It sounded more like a roar. Strike action was supported by nearly 88% of voting members, and turnout exceeded 72%, the highest level the branch has seen in recent memory. When people are indifferent, that kind of number doesn’t occur.
There will now be eighteen days of strike action in late May and early June, starting on May 27 and continuing in waves until June 19. It’s a battle against “savage attacks” on employment, compensation, and pensions, according to the University and College Union. For its part, management uses the word “disappointed.” I am disappointed. Universities use this type of language when they don’t want to discuss the real issues that are occurring on their own campuses.
According to the union’s count, about 130 jobs are at risk as part of an attempt to recover nearly £27 million. There are about 4,000 employees at the university, roughly divided between academic and professional services. Such figures may seem meaningless until you stroll through City Campus’s hallways on a weekday and observe the staff members who manage the facility, such as the librarians, technicians, course directors, and administrative personnel who manage to recall each student’s name. When 130 of those are removed, something gives.
Beneath the conflict is a more subdued, technical battle that may be the most important. A plan to transfer the majority of academic staff to a fully owned subsidiary company is being fiercely opposed by the UCU. The union claims that this would result in a multi-tiered workforce and allow the university to avoid its legal duty to maintain teaching staff members in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme. It’s the kind of thing that can change careers without anyone noticing until the paperwork is signed, but it doesn’t make for a catchy placard.
The mood feels heavier than usual in part because Sheffield Hallam is not alone in this. Workers at the University of Sheffield have been staging walkouts throughout the city due to a variety of concerns, including pay, pensions, workloads, and layoffs. Higher education in Britain now follows a common pattern: an institution declares it must “make tough decisions,” cites a difficult financial environment, and then waits for the storm to pass. It does occasionally. Sometimes it doesn’t, as was the case with Hallam.
The management has been eager to emphasize that “significant savings” have been made thus far without the need for mandatory layoffs. Alright. However, employees have vivid memories. Once the easier exits have left the building, voluntary schemes often turn into something less voluntary. It’s difficult to ignore the fact that those who actually teach the classes and grade the essays are the ones worrying.
On June 1st, at lunchtime, a rally is scheduled for Hallam Square. Speeches, banners—the typical beat of a strike in its early stages. It’s unclear if the executive board will meet again before then. According to the union, it seeks “meaningful negotiation.” Additionally, that phrase is doing a lot of work, covering everything from teaching loads to pension protections to the fundamental dignity of knowing that your job will still exist in September.
At Hallam, something has changed. It remains to be seen if management has taken notice.
