Staff across dozens of UK universities are backing further strike action this year over the USS pension dispute,
Following a strike ballot earlier this month, UCU members at 24 universities have secured a mandate for strike action until October 2022 on the USS pension dispute, as well as members from 36 universities voting to strike due to pay and working conditions. This brings the total to 37 universities with a mandate to strike.
Nearly 80% of voters supported strike action, as well as close to 90% supporting action short of a strike (ASOS). This vote in favour gives the UCU an even stronger mandate than the ballot in November 2021, where around 76% backed strike action.
‘The anger has not gone away’
As a result of this ballot, staff at 27 universities have a mandate for strike action in the coming months, as staff at Queen’s University Belfast, Ulster University, and Queen Mary University of London already have live mandates.
Universities with staff set to go on strike include Cardiff University, the University of Nottingham, and Durham University – a full list can be found here.
This comes as cuts have been recently implemented, with the ‘average’ lecturer losing 35% from their future guaranteed retirement income. This is based on a valuation of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) conducted in March 2020 – just as markets crashed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Assets have since rebounded to £88 billion – a new valuation could thus see an increase in benefits, rather than a cut. The UCU insists that a new valuation must be carried out to see these benefits restored.
The ballot results, revealed on April 12, will see these lectures striking on account of both the USS pension dispute and existing pay and working conditions. Across this past academic year, staff have taken 18 days of strike action, as well as ASOS – such as working strictly to contract and refusing to take on additional work.
‘They simply do not care’
According to the UCU, though, ‘university employers represented by Universities and Colleges Employers Association have refused to make improved offers or even enter negotiations with UCU.’ The UCU also points out that ‘the most recently published vice chancellor salaries show university bosses earn around £278k.
‘[This is] almost ten times more than entry level academic or academic related professional staff.’
Jo Grady, the UCU general secretary said: ‘University vice chancellors should be under no illusion at how disgusted staff are at the attacks on their pensions. The cuts are unjust, unnecessary and with eight in ten staff voting in favour of strike action it is clear the anger has not gone away.’
‘Whilst staff were keeping universities running during the pandemic, vice chancellors were using a once in a lifetime valuation of a pension scheme as an excuse to slash and burn. Our members are now set to lose tens of thousands from their retirement incomes.
‘Sadly, despite 18 days of strike action, those that lead our universities – themselves on eye watering salaries – have demonstrated they simply do not care.’