If you are:
1) a student UK University upset that your teachers are on #UCUstrike; or
2) a parent of a uni student angry about uni staff being on strike; or
3) a senior member of staff who is able to strike but has chosen not to:
Pls check out #PrecarityStory & #Precaritystories

...and consider some of these figures:

one third of all academics working in academia
are employed on fixed-term contracts

30% UK Higher Education institutions use zero hour contracts to employ academic staff

42% of staff on teaching-only contracts are employed on so-called "hourly paid" contracts. In many cases, these are key staff providing important contact time for undergraduate students in seminars, and doing most of the marking.

The hours counted to pay these "hourly paid" teaching staff are completely unrealistic compared to the hours that are actually paid, and don't include time spent on (compulsory) training!

And this doesn't include the many university staff employed through temping agencies such as Unitemps "The Intelligent Staffing Solution"

UCU's research showed that 42% of staff on casual contracts have struggled to pay household bills, while many others struggle to make long-term financial commitments like buying a house.

See here for some of the official data from HESA, that also shows how women and BAME staff are disproportionately affected by casualisation: https://www.ucu.org.uk/media/10502/Job-security-in-universities---the-scale-of-the-problem/pdf/ucu_casualisation-in-he_graphic_oct191.pdf

Read more about why the #UCUstrike is linking pay *and* inequality *and* casualisation *and* unsustainable workloads here: https://www.ucu.org.uk/he2019-explained

Casualisation doesn't just affect teaching and research staff. It also affects "academic related" professions who are the glue that holds our universities together: librarians, IT services, course officers, support services for students...

I am now employed with a 'permanent' contract. I am striking to improve the working conditions of all university staff. These are also the learning conditions for our students, and the conditions that make it possible to deliver world class research that has real social impacts.