Throughout the UK university staffs were united in strike action on Nov. 19. Eight unions representing more than 100,000 members from porters to professors took action in protest against pay offers of 1.5 per cent, with 2.5 per cent for the lowest paid. The Association of University Teachers with over 31,000 members mainly in the older universities, were particularly prominent in the action and student unions joined the protests in support. Despite claims by some Vice-Chancellors that some campuses remained open, there was very little activity in most universities as picket lines were strongly supported.

In addition to the strike, marches and rallied were held in cities up and down the country. Thousands attended meetings in London, Oxford, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Brighton, Southampton, Manchester and many others.

The dispute follows years of inadequate pay rises which have meant that salaries have fallen by more than 35 per cent against national average earnings; cuts in funding alongside a doubling of student numbers over the last seven years have meant that expenditure per student has fallen by 30 per cent. Cuts in the 1995 budget lead vice-chancellors to claim that they can only make a pay offer of one per cent below the rate of inflation and almost 2.5 per cent below this year's increase in national average earnings. After refusing to negotiate further the V-Cs received an unequivocal response on Nov. 19 when staff gave a resounding "No!" to such insulting and inadequate offers.

"This has been a unique demonstration of staff determination to be paid fairly. The vice-chancellors would discredit themselves if they did not hear the message: pay staff the percentage increase you paid yourselves last year. Don't duck it. You cannot have one rule for the rich and one for the poor," said David Triesman, General Secretary of the AUT. British V-Cs whose salaries range from around £90,000 to almost £140,000* received pay rises last year, of up to 19 per cent in some cases.

A meeting with the employers on Dec. 6 did not make any progress towards a settlement but the employer's representatives did agree to involve the government conciliation service in further talks. The pay dispute has come on top of a campaign which has been building throughout the year to reverse the funding cuts. There was some sign that this was beginning to bear fruit when for the first time anyone can recall the Chancellor of the Exchequer specifically mentioned higher education when delivering his Budget speech to Parliament. The extra funding announced however was a disappointing £100 million for each of the next two years. This in effect means that 3 per cent cuts budgeted last year have been reduced to 0.7 per cent. The AUT believes that the only effective way to produce a lasting solution to the problem of academic pay is the establishment of an independent pay review body, such as those which have served groups like medical doctors, nurses, the armed forces and senior civil servants well in recent years; not forgetting our own Members of Parliament who voted themselves a 26 per cent rise this year on the strength of a pay review body recommendation.

The one day strike and continuing withdrawal of co-operation are certainly having an impact but is possible that more action will be required before the vice-chancellors give proper priority to staff pay and join in pressing government to establish a mechanism which will lead to a longer term restoration of academic pay. Consideration is now being given to escalating the action to include a boycott of admissions and examinations procedures. These are measures AUT members would take with reluctance, but we have been pushed so far and the message of Nov. 19 was clear -- enough is enough.

Malcolm Keight is Assistant General Secretary of the Association of University Teachers of the United Kingdom.

*Typical academic salary in the UK after 10 years post PhD experience is £25,035.