See below for a letter from our branch secretary to Chris Cobb raising concerns over health and safety during the strikes:

Dear Chris

I am writing to ask that the University confirm that during UCUs strike action that the campus remain safe for staff and students to remain working on?

Given the number of staff taking strike action or refusing to cross picket lines, are all necessary health and safety requirements (both outlined in the University’s own policy and that of the relevant legislation) being met? Continue reading →

Another well-supported if extremely cold day of strike action on Friday culminated in the news that talks would resume with Universities UK next Tuesday, as more VCs broke ranks to call for a negotiated solution (the list was 18 at the last count, including Cambridge!).

However, as UUK are still ludicrously claiming that the decision to close the DC scheme cannot be part of negotiations, the strikes will continue!

It is clear that the action is working – and it’s more important than ever that we step it up now that the momentum is and the employers are wavering! We are almost there – please join us in supporting the picket at the front of Senate House on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday next week and help seal a historic victory and save our pensions!

Any questions – give Danny a shout on 07783719479.

Tens of thousands of lecturers and other staff braved freezing temperatures to take part in the first day of protests against changes to their pensions. And, to show solidarity, many IWGB members turned out to support the picket line at Senate House.

They stood alongside the students who were supporting their teachers while journalists captured, in images and words, the biggest industrial action even seen in UK universities. Stories featured in many local, national and international media outlets – too numerous to list.

Here are some from The Guardian: University lecturers begin strike action over pensions; The Guardian view on the lecturers’ strike: a deficit in thinking; The solution to university pensions? Better fund managers; ‘The whole university system is broken’: your best comments today; I’m striking with university colleagues as our pensions are being destroyed. Most of the Guardian’s coverage of the strike can be found on its Higher Education page. Continue reading →

At a packed out all-staff meeting on pensions a UCU national negotiator outlined the seriousness of the planned changes to USS, the fact that they were completely unnecessary, and the need for strike actionto bring the employers back to the table.

Lots of questions came up after the meeting from non-UCU members, and so hereare some very brief FAQS about the strike!

Why is everyone talking about pensions?

Our pensions are about to be drastically cut – USS first, with SAUL to follow.

 That sounds bad. But what can I do about it?

Join the national strike across 61 universities starting on Thursday 22 February.

 I’m not in a union so I can’t strike, right?

Not true. Everyone can take part – you do not have to be in any union.

 Won’t I get in trouble if I strike?

It is illegal to penalise anyone for refusing to cross a picket line. The University has also assured staff there will be no negative consequences.

 But I can’t afford it right now.

The planned changes could cost us £200,000 from our pensions – we need to take a short term hit to avoid a massive long term loss.

OK – I can strike! How do I do it?

Just turn up at the front of Senate House at 8am on Thursday 22 February – the longer the picket line, the shorter the strike!

All staff with a pension whether it be USS or SAUL need to come to this meeting!

It will provide crucial information on what chnages are planned for all our pensions AND explain how the planned NATIONAL STRIKE is going to affect the University of London!

Any questions – dannymillum@iwgb.org.uk or 020 7862 8812

See below for an email from Tim Hall, UCU Chair, which spells out the issues:

From: Tim Hall
Sent: 05 February 2018 13:56
To: UCU Members
Subject: ⚠ Strike Action – Please Read ⚠
Importance: High

Dear Members,

As you’ve now surely heard – University of London Senate House Branch has voted overwhelmingly to strike for the future of our pensions. Potentially, this will be the biggest strike action undertaken in Higher Education history – and with good reason.

Strike action will take place on:

Why?

There is no real justification for this pension attack. The “deficit” isn’t real – it is an actuarial projection which isn’t even likely – it is just a possibility. By any normal commercial measure, USS’s finances are strong. Assets have grown by an average of 12% a year for the last five years, and it has a record number of staff paying into the scheme. Actuaries report that USS could pay pensioners directly from its income for 40 years without touching its assets. If a stand isn’t taken now the changes will be made by USS/ UUK to the pension and there will be no going back, and the situation will worsen as the pension becomes less attractive and productive.

These pension cuts are estimated at £200,000 per employee, with the worst hit being the youngest. The new generation of university staff, already bearing huge student debts and no real wage increase in their working life now face the deepest cut in pensions.

It is estimated that you will lose between 10% and 40% of your retirement income. This would mean staff who have been paying into their pension for their whole working lives would get a smaller and much less reliable pension. It’s important to note that women are likely to be the most severely affected by these changes – changes that would be implemented in the same year as we celebrate the University of London’s leading women.

I know that most of us will struggle deeply with the potential loss to earnings over this time (I’m supporting my family with just my wage) but the fact is that we simply can’t afford NOT to strike. The union has agreed to provide strike pay but priority will be given to those on insecure contracts and/or low earnings.  More details are available here [127kb].

I wrote a letter to the Vice-Chancellor urging him to publicly call for the reopening of national negotiations with the aim of retaining a decent defined benefit scheme, and commit to increasing the University of London’s contributions if necessary to protect this valuable benefit. Even at this late stage we can still get back around the negotiating table.

Not just about pensions

Although legally the strikes themselves are about the dispute on pensions, such a significant dispute cannot just be about pensions. This action will play a big role in shaping future management-union relations.

Historically, the medium-term prognosis for staff in industries where the employers rout their staff’s trade unions in a major dispute (which could happen if we don’t properly strike) is not good.

What next?

UCU have organised a meeting next week on the 12^th of February from 12.00 – 13.00 (with another hour available for contingency) in the Woburn Room (Senate House Room 22). Please do come – you should have already received invites. We will have a National Pensions Officer present who will talk about the draconian proposals put forward by UUK and why it’s so important that we challenge them.

More information on the strike action can be found on UCU’s website: https://www.ucu.org.uk/uss-action-faqs.

See you at the meeting,

Tim Hall

UCU Senate House Branch Chair

Everyone should come down to this if they can! If you want to come and don’t know where it is text Danny on 07783719479.

UCU London Region Public Rally

Defend Education – Stand up for Pensions and Pay
Wednesday 17 January, 7pm
Cruciform Lecture Theatre 1
Cruciform Building
Gower Street

Speakers: Sally Hunt (UCU General Secretary), John McDonnell MP, Rachel Cohen (City University, UCU NEC), Sean Vernell (City and Islington FE, UCU NEC), Carrie Benjamin (SOAS), and others

Organised by UCU London Region. Open to all.

Please read this if you are in the USS pension scheme – the shit is about to hit the fan.

You may know that negotiations over changes to the scheme have been going on between UCU, the employers and USS.

The employers propose:

1. An end to the collective Defined Benefit (DB) pension scheme and its replacement with an individual Defined Contribution (DC) scheme.

Under DB, you know what you will get and what you will pay – risk is shared between scheme members and employers. Under DC, you know what you pay, you just don’t know what you will get – all the risk is transferred to individuals as members of the pension scheme.  This makes a DC scheme both expensive, costs of running the scheme are not minimised and collectively shared, but even more dangerously an individual’s pension is at risk of wild variation in asset prices immediately prior to retirement. The only solution to this for the individual DC member is that they themselves de-risk their own pension with the result that they have lower returns and a still lower pension.

2. A cut in the employers’ contributions to the scheme. Rather than promise a minimum level of contribution to our pensions they will transfer all ‘de-risking’ costs to members and cut employer contributions to 12.45% for future pensions. This will rob us of our pensions in the DC scheme. When everyone is being told they need to save more for pensions – our employers are doing the opposite.

Moving everyone to DC will destroy the link between past and future staff, break the important link that ensures the DB scheme remains open to new entrants and therefore continues to grow with positive cash flows, risks destroying future pensions and has the opposite effect of ‘de-risking’ by creating the very deficit they seek to avoid.

More details can be found here.

Despite UCU opposition, the employers are determined to push these disastrous changes through – and a decision on whether to adopt them will be made on 23 January.

The only way to stop this is going to be sustained strike action and a massive public campaign!

What can IWGB members do (feel free to email me with questions – dannymillum@iwgb.org.uk):

1. UCU are currently balloting members nationwide for strike action. They will get the results of the ballot on the 19 January. If strike action is called at Senate House all affected IWGB members will be able to participate and we will be on the picket line. It is vital that we all take part in this!

2. Write to your MP – 50 MPS have already signed an early day motion against these changes (see sample letter at https://www.ucu.org.uk/USS-emailyourMP).

3. Write to Kim Frost to request that the University itself oppose these plans – my email and his response are below:

Dear Danny,

The University is part of the UUK employers’ group and this group represents the views of employers on the USS scheme. As you know the negotiations on the current valuation results are in progress at present.

Best wishes

Kim

Kim Frost

University Secretary and Director of Human Resources

From: Danny Millum
Sent: 15 December 2017 14:47
To: Kim Frost <Kim.Frost@london.ac.uk>
Subject: Proposed changes to the USS pension scheme
Importance: High

Dear Kim

As you are obviously aware, proposals to change the USS pension scheme are currently being discussed.

These proposals would see the end of guaranteed pension payments and a loss more than £200,000 over the course of a retirement for a typical member of staff.

Would you be able to clarify the University of London’s position with regard to this issue?

Best wishes

Danny

You have probably already seen, but talks are currently ongoing over proposals from Universities UK (UUK) to radically change the USS pension scheme.

The key element of these changes is the plan to end guaranteed pension payments, which would mean a loss more than £200,000 over the course of a retirement for a typical member of staff.

UUK’s proposal is that – apart from death and incapacity benefit – USS should now become what is called a fully defined contribution (DC) scheme.

In effect this means that your final pension is no longer guaranteed, but instead will be wholly dependent upon returns from the stock market on your ‘investment’.

This proposal has been made despite the fact that USS themselves have shown that most employers can afford to pay more to help secure existing benefits and despite the fact that a majority of employers who responded to UUK’s own consultation said they wanted to retain a defined benefit scheme.

What can we do?

Talks are currently ongoing at a national level but are due to end on 18 December.

UCU are currently balloting members over strike action, and are planning strikes for February should these talks fail.

We need to make sure that there is strong local oppositon in each institution, and so we will be calling on IWGB members to support any strikes at the University of London AND campaigning vigorously in 2018 against these changes!

We’ve also written to Kim Frost to clarify what the UoL position is in relation to these changes.

Any questions email Danny (dannymillum@iwgb.org.uk) or Catherine (catherinemorrissey@iwgb.co.uk).