Budget is “thin gruel” for higher education, says UCU

Responding to the Budget, University and College Union (UCU) general secretary Jo Grady today (Wednesday) said:

‘Today's Budget is thin gruel for those working in universities. Employer national insurance rises will hit the sector hard when higher education is already on its knees. Universities are crying out for increased public funding to secure their future as Britain's last world-leading sector, yet the Chancellor failed to deliver. There will be no decade of national renewal if the government's approach to universities continues to be one of de facto disinvestment. This is not a matter of special pleading: a properly funded higher education sector is a foundation stone of economic growth.

‘Increases to the apprentice and national minimum wage are welcome; this will not only improve the lives of the lowest paid, but raise the bar for all workers and help grow the economy. Further education lecturers now also urgently need a pay rise. The £300m in additional funding must be used to match the 5.5% pay rise that schoolteachers received and help close the £9k pay gap. If pay doesn't rise, colleges will continue to haemorrhage staff and there will be no one left to train the workforce of tomorrow.'