North East university lecturers begin strike action amid bitter row over 'raid' on pensions
Hundreds of academics at a North East university went on strike today amid a bitter row over a “raid” on their pensions.
Staff at Northumbria University began a walkout on Thursday, with members of the University and College Union (UCU) planning a total 10 days of strike action between now and March 6.
The dispute centres on the university telling workers to switch to a different pension scheme or have their pay frozen.
Bosses say they want to save £11 million per year by moving staff from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), which the lecturers’ union has warned would leave employees significantly worse off.
The university says that the TPS comes with “very high costs”, with employer contributions of 28.68%, and that the savings could be used to “enhance the student experience, improve our facilities for students and staff, and strengthen our financial sustainability”.
But UCU branch chair Adam Hansen told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that the stance was “completely demoralising”.
The English lecturer said: “We recognise that universities are in financial difficulty, the sector is in a state. But management here have decided to punch down onto staff.”
He added: “People who have been paying into their pensions for years and years have been told that unless they move their pay is going to be cut. That is completely demoralising and deprives people of dignity at work. Our members have said that is not acceptable.
“We love our jobs. We love teaching, love research and being with our students. The last thing we want to do is take strike action, particularly when everything is as grim as it is.
“Our university is a great university and it has won awards – university of the year, modern university of the year. We want to keep it that way and for it to get even better.”
Mr Hansen estimated that the number of Northumbria staff striking on Thursday was in the “high hundreds” and confirmed that the union had rejected a new offer from the university this week.
80% of the university’s UCU members backed striking in a recent vote, on a turnout of 60%.
Mr Hansen said the dispute was “of national significance”, adding: “If Northumbria is allowed to do this, other universities will follow suit. They will see it as a way to raid staff pensions and put all of the risk onto staff.”
The university indicated that it expected most classes to go ahead despite the strike and that its buildings remained open as normal.
A spokesperson said on Thursday that its latest offer included a pledge to “consider” a pay rise for staff who stay in the TPS, while those who switch pensions would be confirmed a minimum uplift.
They added: “Over recent months we have engaged openly and transparently with our colleagues about the need to address the very high costs of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS).
“We have outlined clearly how universities required to offer the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, such as Northumbria, are significantly financially disadvantaged in comparison to universities such as Newcastle and Durham who offer the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS).
“At a time of huge pressure on university finances nationwide, the Teachers’ Pension Scheme costs Northumbria an additional £11 million per year compared to the cost of USS, of which the majority of academic staff in the higher education sector are members. This money could instead be used to enhance the student experience, improve our facilities for students and staff, and strengthen our financial sustainability.
“Following extensive engagement with our colleagues and our academic trade union, UCU, we have developed a proposal that addresses these costs while offering colleagues a choice between TPS and USS. The proposal includes a commitment to consider a pay award for colleagues who choose to stay in the Teachers’ Pension scheme which now has employer contributions of 28.68%, and for those who move to USS, a confirmed minimum pay increase and a payment that provides individuals with a share of the savings achieved.
“As well as being the standard pension scheme for the majority of academic staff in the UK, USS is the scheme that UCU offers to its own employees. We are disappointed that UCU has decided to take industrial action in response to these proposals and we remain committed to protecting the educational experience of our students during this period.”