Unite call 24 hour strike action for Scottish uni workers

Unite the union have announced that 1,000 workers will stage a 24-hour walkout at Glasgow, Strathclyde and Edinburgh Napier universities. The industrial action will take place on 10 April 2026, as a demonstration against the universities’ imposed real-terms pay cut.

Most of Unite’s staff in Glasgow, Strathclyde and Edinburgh Napier are employed in non-academic roles, such as admin, estates and security.

The Strathclyde staff members also recently undertook seven days of strike action, lasting 16-22 March. This was motivated by the university’s failure to consult the workers over organisational change and proposed job cuts.

Alongside the announcement, Unite also took the opportunity to tout its vision for the future of the higher education sector. This is particularly timely, given that the Scottish parliamentary elections fall next month.

Unite tackle real-terms cuts

The higher education (HE) sector across the country has already suffered under 15 years of substandard pay awards. Compared to 2010, the below-inflation ‘rises’ have left most staff with a real-terms cut of around 30%.

Trade unions across the HE sector are already engaged in negotiations for the 2026/27 pay award. They’re demanding the higher of either RPI + 3%, or a £3,000 increase – this would be paid in full in August 2026. On top of that, they’re also arguing for a £15/hr minimum basic pay.

Now however, for Scottish university workers in 2025/26, the pay proposal stands at just 1.4% on average. For comparison, the current Retail Price Index (RPI) inflation level stands at 3.6%. On top of that, predictions hold that even higher rates are on the way due to the fallout of Trump/Netanyahu’s war on Iran.

As such, the proposal amounts to a 2.2% real-terms pay cut, along with the immanent promise of worse to come.

It’s unsurprising, then, that the union members plan to hold pickets at each university, between the hours of 08:00 and 11:00 on 10 April. These will take place at the Main Gate at Glasgow on University Avenue, Rottenrow Hill at Strathclyde, and Merchiston at Napier.

Sharon Graham, Unite’s general secretary, said:

University workers deserve far better than a real terms pay cut after over a decade of below-inflation pay rises. They are faced with rising energy, household, transport and food costs while their wages are being slashed.

University employers should be ashamed of treating hard working staff in this way which is why our members in Glasgow, Strathclyde and Edinburgh Napier will fight for better jobs, pay and conditions by taking a stand against this appalling treatment.

National Vision for Education

Alongside its current battles for Glasgow, Strathclyde and Edinburgh Napier university staff, Unite Scotland is also mounting an ongoing National Vision for Education campaign.

Alison MacLean, Unite’s lead officer for higher education, stated that:

Last year, university staff had one of the worst ever pay awards imposed upon them which is why our members have no option but to fight back. The 2025-26 budget for higher education represented a real-terms cut, failing to match inflation and leaving our institutions exposed. We are currently in pay negotiations for 2026/27 and our members will simply not accept another derisory pay award.

Unite’s members are being forced to pay the price for financial mismanagement through low-ball pay offers, attacks on terms and conditions, and increasing threats of compulsory redundancies. We will not accept this, and our members are prepared to fight for a better education sector for all.

Holyrood currently relies on a ‘frozen’ per-student funding model. As such, the real-terms funding for Scottish undergraduate teaching has fallen by 19% over the past 12 years. Worse still, college funding has also seen a 20% drop in real-terms funding in just 5 years.

In its campaign document, Unite stated that:

Our universities and colleges are not just businesses; they are hubs of cultural expression, research excellence, and social mobility. Unite will not stand by while they are managed into decline. We demand a sector that
provides security for its staff and remains open to all, underpinned by a sustainable funding model that ends the reliance on precarious international fees and student debt.

Given that the next Scottish parliament will be decided in the May 2026 elections, the next month could be crucial – both for Unite’s vision of a fully funded HE sector, and for the future of education in Scotland as a whole.

Featured image via the Canary