Support UCU Strike
Less than two years since the longest strike in UK universities, in March 2018, university staff are again taking part in all out strike action through the University and College Union (UCU). This strike action was called for eight consecutive days, from 25th November to the 4th December. The strike is again over pensions, but for staff in some institutions it is also over pay, gender equality, casualisation and workloads.
The overwhelming issue for university staff is the future of their pension scheme, the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). For years university employers have wanted to undermine this scheme, by firstly replacing the final salary with a career average scheme, which will leave staff much worse off. Last year they moved to replace the defined benefits scheme, based on members’ payments, with a less secure scheme, relying on the performance of investments.
Weeks of strike action in 2018 were ended when both the UCU and the employers’ side signed up to a Joint Experts Panel (JEP). JEP has reported and its assessment of the finances of USS is at odds with the predictions of university employers. So the employers have decided to ignore the advice of JEP and are again pursuing their plans to wreck USS.
In many universities however this strike action has also been about pay and conditions. According to the UCU pay has fallen by 20% in real terms since 2009. There is a massive problem of casualisation, whereby lecturers, researchers and university support staff, such as librarians, administrators and IT support, go from one temporary contract to another. It is no longer a career for life in the universities. On the other hand university chiefs have awarded themselves eye-watering salaries, in some cases of several hundred thousand pounds. This has taken large chunks out of the university’s pay budgets.
Strike action has taken place across 60 institutions UK wide. This is the ‘old university’ sector, whose staff are in the USS Pension Scheme. Unfortunately a number of institutions, including some in London, are not taking part as they did not meet the required 50% participation rate in the strike ballot. Twelve of these however have asked to re-ballot ahead of any further industrial action in the New Year. This will include action short of a strike, such as ‘working to rule’, and not covering for absent colleagues.
The UCU has received support from the National Union of Students. Many were vocally supporting the picket line at University College London last week. The union regrets any disruption to studies and would like the dispute to be resolved. Some universities are trying as before to drive a wedge between staff and students. Overseas students who support the strike action for instance have been threatened that they might have their visa arrangements reviewed.
This industrial action takes place during a General Election campaign. Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, Angela Rayner has expressed support for the UCU and says that she would put pressure on the university employers to reach a settlement. At an event staged at Edinburgh University, Scottish Labour leader, Richard Leonard, was the only invited politician to say that he was refusing to cross UCU picket lines and would not be attending.
