SOAS UNISON Strike Fund

SUPPORT FUND FOR LOW-PAID STRIKING WORKERS AT SOAS, UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

UNISON union members at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London will be on strike for fair pay on 1st, 2nd and 3rd December 2021.

We need your support to provide hardship payments to low-paid striking workers. Please consider showing your solidarity by donating to our strike fund. Every donation, whether large or small, is gratefully received.

What is happening?

SOAS workers are taking strike action to reject the insulting 2020/21 pay-freeze imposed by higher education employers. There will be 3 days of industrial action on 1–3 December.

As support staff, we’ve kept our university going during the pandemic, but we’ve received no reward for this hard work and dedication. With inflation now running at over 6%, the 0% pay increase has been a real terms pay cut. The 2020/21 pay freeze came after more than a decade of derisory pay rises, which has seen our pay effectively cut by 20% since 2009.

We will be striking alongside colleagues in SOAS UCU, who are taking action over pensions and their “four fights” - pay cuts, unsustainable workloads, gender, race and disability pay gaps and casualisation.

SOAS is one of only two UNISON branches taking this action around the country and we are asking for your support.

How can you help?

SOAS UNISON is asking for donations to its strike fund. Money will be used to provide hardship payments to striking workers, especially our lowest-paid members who work in areas like cleaning and security. Hardship payments will be made to ensure workers don't suffer serious financial difficulties due to taking part in this nationally important strike action.

We know it is a tough period for many workers around the country, but if you are able, please chip in to ensure our members can support themselves and their families as they fight for fair pay in higher education.

*** Donated funds will only be used for hardship payments to striking SOAS workers. If we receive more money than is needed for the current industrial action, SOAS UNISON will hold any remaining money in our ring-fenced industrial action fund to support striking SOAS workers in future disputes ***