The men and women who work as support staff to keep Britain's universities running are harassed, overworked and among the lowest paid public sector employees in the country, according to a survey, writes Phil Baty.
A poll of administrative, clerical, library, catering and cleaning staff found that more than two thirds reported worsening morale and half said that they were considering quitting. One in five said they had been subjected to violence, and a third said they had been harassed by other staff.
"This group of workers is fundamental to the running of universities and colleges," said Jon Richards, senior national official at Unison, which conducted the survey. "It is a hidden army that suffers low pay, bad conditions and is badly treated by colleagues, managers and students."
The survey of more than 1,000 members was published this week as the seven campus trade unions were due to meet employers for a final day of pay talks, held after The Times Higher went to press.
The unions had little hope that the employers would improve sufficiently on their offer of 5 per cent over two years.
Three quarters of respondents to Unison's survey said that their workloads had increased. Some 80 per cent of these said that they had been given additional duties and responsibilities, while others reported that staffing levels had been reduced.
Unison said that support staff in universities - especially in pre-1992 institutions - are the worst paid workers in the public sector, with an hourly rate of £5..
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