Unite calls 24-hour strike at three Scottish universities

Three Scottish universities are set to be hit by a 24-hour strike, with cleaners, security staff and technicians among those walking out over pay.

Unite has called the action on 10 April, saying the 1.4 per cent pay rise for most staff introduced last August represents a “massive real terms pay cut”, especially given inflation is set to rise again because of the war in Iran.

The universities of Glasgow and Strathclyde as well as Edinburgh Napier University will all be affected, with Unite claiming 1,000 of its members will take part.

Campus trade unions rejected the rise, which includes higher wages for the lowest pay bands, after it was negotiated nationally with the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (Ucea) last year.

Unite, which represents staff primarily in non-academic roles, successfully balloted members for industrial action, after urging them to reject the deal.

It said a decade and a half of “below-inflation pay rises has led to higher education wages falling by around 30 per cent in real terms since 2010”.

The strike action begins as pay negotiations for 2026-27 get under way. Unions have again called for an increase of RPI inflation plus 3 per cent, or £3,000, whichever is greater.

Unite highlighted that RPI is currently running at 3.6 per cent and most economists expect it to increase significantly as the conflict in the Middle East drives up the cost of oil and other essential goods.

General secretary Sharon Graham said: “University workers deserve far better than a real terms pay cut after over a decade of below-inflation pay rises. They are faced with rising energy, household, transport and food costs while their wages are being slashed.”

Unite Scotland called on parties standing in the coming Scottish parliamentary elections to commit to fully fund the country’s higher education sector with a “sustainable funding model that ends the reliance on precarious international fees and student debt”.

Lead officer for higher education Alison MacLean said: “Unite’s members are being forced to pay the price for financial mismanagement through low-ball pay offers, attacks on terms and conditions, and increasing threats of compulsory redundancies. We will not accept this, and our members are prepared to fight for a better education sector for all.”

A spokesperson for Edinburgh Napier stressed that it only had a small number of Unite members and “we expect any impact on our students will be minimal”.

Glasgow likewise said “we anticipate the large majority of staff will continue to work normally. The university is doing everything it can to keep disruption to a minimum.”

A spokesperson for the University of Strathclyde said: “We recognise the importance of job security and are continuing to work with our trade unions while taking steps to minimise disruption to students.

“Like many universities across the UK, we are facing significant financial pressures.

“This means we need to make savings now through a mix of income generation and controlled salary and non‑salary savings.

“This ensures long‑term sustainability and a strong platform to deliver our strategy.”