• Live
    • Audio Only
  • google plus
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • An image from a University and College Union rally in London on February 28th.

    An image from a University and College Union rally in London on February 28th. | Photo: UCU

Published 4 March 2018
Opinion
Overall, a victory by the UCU and students that back them would not only help to safeguard the guaranteed benefit scheme for the future but also greatly strengthen the political momentum.

On Thursday, February 22nd, the University and College Union (UCU) commenced the first day of strike action against the planned cuts to the pension schemes. The industrial action has proven to be the largest in the recent history of higher education, with staff and students taking collective action across 61 different universities across the country. Since that day, university staff, lecturers, and students have organized picket lines, rallies, occupations and protests across all major cities in the country in their bid to defend their future livelihood and bring the university administration back to the negotiating table.

RELATED:

British Government set for Monday Reshuffle

Some of the most prominent actions have taken place in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Cardiff, Newcastle, Liverpool, Bath, and London, with the latter witnessing one of the largest college and university union rallies on Wednesday, February 28th. Further industrial action has been planned for weeks beginning with March 5th and 12th, with nine more days of strikes and work stoppages planned during that time. 

The dispute commenced with the proposal by Universities UK (UUK) to transform the defined benefit element of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). According to the report conducted by the UCU, the proposed scheme would eliminate the element of pensions that guarantees the retired members a certain level of income and effectively leave the teaching staff and lecturers on average £10,000 worse off each year in retirement, with a total potential loss of over £200,000. The report further indicated that lecturers with ten years of past experience, who started in 2007, would also see their retirement funds slashed by £6,000 per year in retirement, with a total potential loss of £129,000. The alleged reasoning behind this has been the attempt at tackling the existing financial deficit of over £6.1 billion. However, both the size and the valuation of the deficit have been disputed by both the UCU and individual academics, who noted a number of irregularities with using estimates for salary increases and life expectancy from 2011. The claim has been considered even more outrageous in light of USS’ chief executive, Bill Gavin, securing a pay rise of £82,000 this year. Thus, this move by UUK has been viewed an attempt to further deregulate and financialise the future livelihoods of the workers in the tertiary sector by tying the new pension schemes to the performance of short-term oriented financial markets. The proposed cuts to pensions also come on the back of a series of cuts to wages, job security and pension reforms that the tertiary education sector has experienced during nearly a decade of austerity and privatization.

The National Union of Students (NUS) has also backed the strike. In a statement of solidarity, Shakira Martin, the president of the NUS, has called upon the local student body branches across universities to support the striking teachers and join them on picket lines and rallies, as well as calling upon the university employers to return to negotiations.  A campaign demanding compensation from university administration for the loss in teaching hours was also launched in the prelude to the strike, with the number of signatures demanding reimbursement reaching over 70,000 by February 20th, and thousands more across the individual universities.

In another notable development, an increasing number of individual university administrations across the country have begun to break ranks with UUK’s stance on the pension reform, recommending instead a negotiations-based approach with the striking teachers. In a number instances, the vice-chancellor of the University of Newcastle, Chris Day, came out in support of the academic staff’s decision to strike, while Glasgow University’s Vice-chancellor, Anton Muscatelli, joined the staff on the picket lines on February 27th. Even the Conservative Minister for Universities, Sam Gyimah, expressed support for further negotiations between UCU and UUK, without stating any support for UUK’s proposed pension reforms. This climate of indecision and disunity on the part of UUK’s leadership, as well as uncertainty of May’s government with regards to higher education, stand in contrast with the unity shown by the teaching staff and students on the ground, and Labour Party’s commitment to support the strike action. In comparison to the policies of New Labour, an increasing number of Labour MPs have not only supported the strike but also joined the teachers on the picket lines, with a notable example of Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell joining the strike at Goldsmiths University on February 22nd.

In London, the mass rally and protest was organized on February 28th by branches of the UCU across all major universities situated in the capital city, including University College London (UCL), London School of Economics (LSE), King’s College London (KCL) and Goldsmiths’ among others. The rally culminated in a mass meeting at the Westminster City Hall, with a number of prominent trade union and political leaders addressing the striking teachers and students regarding the next steps in the campaign.

RELATED:

West Virginia Teachers Continue Major Strike For Pay Raise

Sally Hunt, the general secretary of the UCU, highlighted the pressure that the successful strike action has been putting on UUK, citing the increasing division among the different university administrations on the question and the fact that the union action has forced the UUK to agree to another round of negotiations planned for the following week. She congratulated the rank and file members of the UCU for the level of organization o the ground, highlighting that since the beginning of the dispute, the union has recruited 4,000 new members. She also acknowledged that the day of the rally coincided with the day of action against workplace racism, and an opportunity to radically examine the university institutions and root out racism wherever it was.

John McDonnell expressed solidarity with the striking teachers and students, as well as passing on a message of support from Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn. He repeated the pledge previously made by the Labour Party in their election manifesto to scrap the Trade Union Act was designed to make it harder for unions to organize strikes and pickets on the worksites. “You will have absolute solidarity from the Labour Party, whether it's on the picket line or in parliament, we will be with you until you win!” he stated during the rally.

Angela Rayner, the Shadow Secretary of State for Education, also reiterated Labour’s support for ongoing strike action, adding that she placed the blame with the university employer’s organization, who have failed to support the staff and initiate meaningful negotiations.  

“What you are doing and what you are trying to do is much broader than the pension cuts. Your defined benefits scheme is important not just for you, but for future generations...”

Overall, a victory by the UCU and students that back them would not only help to safeguard the guaranteed benefit scheme for the future but also greatly strengthen the political momentum and morale of the trade union movement across the UK. It could also assist in halting any further funding cuts or reforms currently planned by Theresa May’s government, and bring the Labour Party closer to political power.

Comment
0
Comments
Post with no comments.