STAFF at Glasgow University say they are being "pushed into poverty" as union members aim to negotiate a new pay deal.

Cleaners, security staff and facilities assistants – formerly called janitors – have rejected a pay offer and have indicated they would take industrial action on the issue.

GMB Scotland members held a demonstration on campus yesterday as representatives said it is "quicker to qualify as a vet" than it is to move up the pay scale for low paid workers.

Glasgow University said it continues to work with staff and union representatives over the pay issues.

But John Slaven, assistant organiser at GMB Scotland, called the university pay system "discriminatory".

He said: "At Glasgow University we have got masses of workers – facilities assistants, cleaners, security – on less than £20,000 a year and the cost-of-living crisis is pushing these people into poverty.

"We've got a grading system at the university that takes our workers six or seven years to move up a grade and when you're low paid that's a massive problem.

"So we're saying that's discriminatory.

"It works against lower paid workers than higher grade staff and we need to change that.

"It's quicker to qualify as a vet from Glasgow University than it is for a security or a facilities assistant to get to the top of their grade."

The union further claims that under-staffing has led to safety issues on the West End campus as facilities assistants are overseeing multiple buildings at once.

Mr Slaven said: "Students are coming back, there's not enough staff, and facilities assistants are now having to open up multiple buildings.

"Security is getting stretched and the cleaners are getting stretched as students come back on the campus.

"Our workers are exhausted and they need to recruit more staff.

"And the reason they can't recruit more staff is because the wages are cruel.

"We're concerned about campus safety because our members are stretched and there already have been some incidents and we've raised this with the employer.

"When you've got multiple buildings and you've got facilities assistants working across multiple buildings then staff safety and student safety decrease, and potential theft risk increases."

On a turnout of 71%, 99% of GMB Scotland members at the university voted to reject the pay deal.

A total of 96% of members indicated in the ballot that they are prepared to take industrial action over the issue.

A Glasgow University spokesperson said: “The University of Glasgow continues to engage in constructive local discussions with trade union representatives about pay-related issues.”