UCU members at the University of Sheffield International College have taken 12 days of strike action throughout March and April.
By a USIC UCU member
We are in dispute over pay and conditions, and are demanding an above-inflation pay rise, an end to zero-hour contracts, paid Christmas closure days and paid carers leave.
While the college is University of Sheffield branded, it is outsourced to Study Group, a private multinational company who run 12 institutions in total in the UK, all linked to prestigious universities. They are all geared towards teaching international students, coveted by UK universities because there is no cap on the fees they can be charged. We are one of only two with union recognition, however. And, because of the outsourcing, we are shut out of national pay bargaining, meaning we don’t receive the USS pension. We work on inferior terms, conditions and pay to staff at the University of Sheffield.
We submitted our pay claim in July 2025, and usually receive a cost-of-living pay increase in September. During the dispute, we have discovered that Study Group CEO Ian Crichton was paid £680,000 in 2023 and £609,000 in 2024. But we have had no pay increase since 2023, and are being told again that this year will be no different. Our non-pay demands are also being refused, despite the fact that some of them would cost nothing!
During the dispute, college directors and deputies at all Study Group centres have been put at risk of redundancy, with rumours of more to come. We have also been told that the owners of Study Group, Bain Capital and IMG are planning to sell the company.
Outsourcing
This is the reality of marketised education – a prestigious Russell Group university outsourcing its teaching to a company no one has ever heard of which is owned by US finance capitalists!
We attempted to escalate our action by striking for a full week during the April assessment period, but the employer simply moved the assessments back by a few weeks. We have agreed to ACAS talks, but see little sign our employer is likely to move. Our rights as a recognised trade union are frequently ignored, and this dispute feels like it is as much about our right to organise as it is about pay.
We are looking at taking further action and we know this dispute may run into the next academic year. But we desperately need support to help us escalate our action. At the time of writing, UCU has only approved 8 days of strike pay (£50 per day), which we have already used up.
We are asking union branches to donate to our Hardship Fund, using the following account details:
Name: UCU University of Sheffield International College NE197
A/C No: 20550514
S/C: 60-83-01
We have already had incredible solidarity from UCU branches, with Open University UCU donating £1250. But we are fighting an entrenched employer that does not accept our right to collectively bargain, and we desperately need support. A victory for our members will prove that outsourcing will not stop Higher Education workers organising.
