Labor Union Boycotts University of London over Employment Conflict

The University of London (UoL) is facing a boycott due to its alleged unfair treatment of casual employees, such as maintenance and security staff. Recently, the University and College Union (UCU), an organization of UK professors, researchers, and academic personnel, announced its plan to boycott the UoL’s Senate House. The Senate House is the location of the UoL’s administration office and is an iconic venue used mainly for conferences, seminars, and exhibits. To protest, the UCU members agreed to snub events to be held at the Senate House. Over 200 events were also moved to other venues. The UCU’s protest is a move to urge the university’s Senate House to stop outsourcing employees and implement higher pay for casual staff. Particularly, the UCU hopes to bring equality to outsourced staff, who are comprised mostly of workers of African descent, Asians, ethnic minority, and women. A UCU member commented that universities should seek to uphold workers’ equal pay and benefits regardless of the employees’ race and gender. This is not the first time the UoL confronted protests related to its treatment of casual employees. In 2018, another labor organization started a campaign to boycott the university’s administration for the same reason. The UCU’s move saddened the university. However, the UoL vehemently denied all the allegations of unfair labor treatment and discrimination. A spokesperson emphasized that the university has taken steps to review its staff management. The spokesperson also noted that some of the outsourced employees have already been converted to regular employees.