Universities set to be hit by strikes over pension change

UNIVERSITIES across Yorkshire are set to be hit by strike action next week in a row over changes to the national pension scheme for academics.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at Bradford, Hull, Leeds, Sheffield and York are set to take part in two days of a nationwide industrial action.

The strikes, taking place next Tuesday and Thursday, are being called in protest to changes to the university superannuation scheme (USS) pension fund.

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The proposed changes would close final salary pensions to new members and see the employee contributions increase.

The USS pension applies to academic staff at pre-1992 universities. Altogther 63 UK institutions will be affected if the strike takes place.

The UCU said it was going ahead with industrial action as the Employers Pension Forum – responsible for the USS scheme – has declined an offer to take the dispute to ACAS.

However the EPF’s chairman and York University vice chancellor Professor Brian Cantor said the union was ignoring three years of negotiating which has gone into developing these proposals.

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The industrial action is set to begin tomorrow in Scotland. There are then separate strike days for Wales, Northern Ireland and England on Friday, next Monday and Tuesday respectively. There will also be a day of UK-wide action on Thursday March 24.

Leeds University’s UCU members will also be holding their own strike over the threat of compulsory redundancy next Thursday.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: “The last thing our universities need is widespread disruption and strike action always remains a last resort.

“However the employers must recognise the strength of feeling over pensions.

“Students clearly do and NUS has written to both sides urging us to get round the table and sort this out.”