Striking against the neoliberal university

The text examines the crisis in UK higher education, highlighting industrial disputes led by the University and College Union (UCU) over pay, pensions, and precarious working conditions. It critiques the 'academic capitalism' model, where students are treated as customers and universities as businesses, noting that this system undermines the critical thinking needed to address climate change. The author advocates for the abolition of student fees, the democratisation of university governance, and a shift in mission toward leading radical transformations for a just and sustainable future.

• Since 2018, the University and College Union (UCU) has been engaged in an industrial dispute concerning pay, workloads, gender equality, casualisation, and pensions, with vice-chancellors cutting academics' pensions by an average of over 33 per cent in February 2022.
• The UK university sector exhibits extreme pay disparity and structural inequality; the average salary for a vice-chancellor in England is 296,000 pounds, while some casualised lecturers are paid below the minimum wage.
• Despite austerity measures affecting staff, the restructuring of the UK university sector has enabled the generation of 46.8 billion pounds in reserves.
• The commodification of UK education was accelerated by the introduction of student fees in 1998 and a 2010 government decision to cut university funding and raise the tuition fee cap, turning students into "customers" and educators into "service providers".
• Higher education in England, Northern Ireland, and Wales is among the most expensive in Europe, with full-time undergraduate fees in England capped at 9,250 pounds per year.
• The neoliberal model prioritises STEM subjects due to lucrative private industry links, sometimes including fossil fuel industry funding, while neglecting the arts, humanities, and social sciences.
• The lack of diversity and representation in universities damages the integrity of critical research on climate justice, the Green New Deal, and just transition.

APA

Taylor, C. M. L. (2022). Striking against the neoliberal university. Green European Journal. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/striking-against-the-neoliberal-university/

Chicago

Taylor, Calum McGeown, Louise. Striking against the neoliberal university. Green European Journal, 2022. https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/striking-against-the-neoliberal-university/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Taylor |first1=Calum McGeown, Louise |title=Striking against the neoliberal university |publisher=Green European Journal |date=7 June 2022 |url=https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/striking-against-the-neoliberal-university/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{taylor2022striking, author = {Taylor, Calum McGeown, Louise}, title = {{Striking against the neoliberal university}}, publisher = {Green European Journal}, year = {2022}, month = jun, url = {https://www.greeneuropeanjournal.eu/striking-against-the-neoliberal-university/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }