DIPARTIMENTO
The university, including the Italian Department has been hit by a series of strikes over the past four weeks. These were brought about by proposed cuts to the Universities Superannuation pension scheme which would leave lecturers’ retirement incomes reduced by at least £10,000 a year - and would hit younger lecturers particularly badly. On a record turnout, the University and College Union (UCU) Bristol voted 91% in favour of industrial action as a last resort, in light of the failure to negotiate an appropriate solution to these drastic cuts.
UNIVERSITY
STRIKES
SOURCE: WWW.UCU.ORG.UK
IMAGE SOURCE: OLIVIA BROOKHOUSE
The UCU announced 14 days of strike action, which began in Bristol on 22 February and continued at various times over the following four weeks. With UCU’s rejection of recent proposals, strikes and action short of strike are due to continue. A further 14 days of industrial action will soon be announced, these will target assessment and exams if a resolution is not found. The potential second series of strikes have been compounded with a call to external examiners at striking universities to resign. Many have already done so.