Thursday 04-11-2021 - 11:52

Members of UCU (the Union representing many staff at Kingston) are currently voting on whether to go on strike.

We recognise and value the work that academics and professional services staff do for students, and we believe that all staff should receive decent pay and working conditions. Staff conditions are student conditions. In particular, we are grateful for the tireless efforts of staff in supporting students throughout the last 18 months. 

As a students’ union, we believe in democratic decision-making, in trade unionism, and support UCU's campaign for reduced casualisation, increased pay in line with inflation, a closing of the ethnicity pay-gap in HE, and a reduction in workload for their members. 

However, this potential industrial action would affect every student, and our members will have strong feelings for both positions – both for fairly paid and better-treated staff and about further disruption to their education. The past 18 months have been tough on students - and for our members strikes lead to lost learning, delayed teaching, and increased stress. We also don’t believe that it is appropriate for the students’ union to sway the legitimate democratic expression of another union’s membership.

Therefore, at least for the time being, we will not take a position on proposed industrial action without an open referendum of our own membership. We are open to feedback, will be consulting students on the potential impact of any action, and will look again at our position when the strike ballot closes and the results for the branch here at Kingston are known.

We know that this is not a simple issue and that these choices are not mutually exclusive of each other - we should be able to be educated and enjoy the rich experience of Kingston University, whilst having staff that support and teach us treated with respect and given the security they deserve. We urge the university and UCU to work together to achieve this.

If students have any feedback on this issue, please contact studentsunion@Kingston.ac.uk

Sarim, Mohamed, Yasmin and Sami 
your student officers, 2021/22 academic year