Tuesday, March 2, 2021
  • Contact
Pension Changes
  • Government Policy
  • Pension Changes
  • Pension Information
  • Pension Rights
  • Retirement Pension
No Result
View All Result
Pension Changes
Home Pension Rights

University strikes offer a lesson in principles, pay and pensions | Letter | Education

March 14, 2020
in Pension Rights
0
SHARES
3
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Your editorial is right to emphasise the wider issues in the strike by university lecturers and support services (Lecturers have a just cause in this important battle for the soul of the campus, 26 November). But the pensions issue still lies at the heart of the dispute.

With a few retired colleagues, we have been attempting to persuade both the University and College Union (UCU) and the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) to deal with the serious generational unfairness that has caused the need for additional contributions to the pension fund.

Current lecturers have already had their pension rights severely reduced in order to maintain the highly beneficial pension rights of those of us who have already retired, are living longer than expected and have not contributed enough while we were working to pay for our benefits. What is needed is a genuine effort to share the burden of paying for adequate pensions for us all, rather than gold-plated ones for those already retired and seriously reduced rights for those paying for it.

We have established that this can be done within the current law, but neither the UCU nor USS seem ready to work together to devise a fairer generational distribution of the costs and benefits of the pension system. The joint negotiating committee needs to work more seriously on the principles established by the joint expert panel on fund valuation last year.
Tom Hadden Emeritus professor, Queen’s University Belfast and David McLellan Emeritus professor, University of Kent

• As teachers, researchers and professional staff from across the UK, we endeavour to provide world-leading education for our students. However, this has become increasingly difficult in the current higher education climate – and this is why we are on strike.

A report published by the Universities and Colleges Employers Association showed that staff pay has dropped a staggering 17% in real terms since 2009. The USS pension reforms have meant that while worker contributions are going up, retired lecturers will be bringing home about £12,000 less per year.

In addition, a disgraceful gender and race pay gap means that male colleagues are, on average, getting paid 15% more than female colleagues, while colleagues of colour are 10% more likely to be on temporary contracts.

We also condemn the strong-arm tactics of universities that have encouraged students to report striking members of staff, threatened significant pay reductions in action short of strike, and told international students that their visas would be at risk if they supported the pickets.

These conditions are all part of the marketisation of universities. Evidence of this transformation includes the “managerial models of private and especially public sector corporations”, the research excellence framework and teaching excellence framework exercises carried out in universities, the inveterate university rankings, the introduction and increase of tuition fees, and cuts to courses and contact hours.

All this amid a looming mental health crisis among university students and the expanding casualisation of higher education staff, whereby 70% of research staff are on temporary contracts, while 37,000 teaching staff in universities are on hourly paid contracts. Many are not entitled to holiday pay, annual leave or a pension. Defying other university leaders, Anthony Forster, vice-chancellor at the University of Essex, claimed that employers can actually afford to pay more to USS, and by so doing could avoid widespread disruption. Voices like these actually represent 40,000 of our colleagues and offer a more hopeful future for today’s and tomorrow’s students.
Professor Gargi Bhattacharyya Sociology, University of East London
Professor Ambreena Manji Law, University of Cardiff
Professor Akwugo Emejulu Sociology, University of Warwick
Professor Gurminder Bhambra Sociology, University of Sussex
Professor Emily Grabham Law, University of Kent
Dr Priyamvada Gopal English, University of Cambridge
Professor Khaled Fahmy Asian and Middle Eastern studies, University of Cambridge
Professor Debbie Lisle International relations, Queen’s University Belfast
Professor Neve Gordon International law, Queen Mary University of London
Professor John Holmwood Sociology, University of Nottingham
Dr Ruth Fletcher Law, Queen Mary University of London
Dr Eva Nanopoulos Law, Queen Mary University of London
Dr Isobel Roele Law, Queen Mary University of London
Professor Tim Morris Physics, Southampton University
Professor Keston Sutherland Poetics, University of Sussex
Professor Alan Bogg Law, University of Bristol
Professor Clément Mouhot Maths, University of Cambridge
Professor Tobias Kelly Anthropology, University of Edinburgh
Professor Matthew Beaumont English, University College London
Professor Gregory Claeys History, Royal Holloway, University of London
Professor Natalie Fention Media, communications and cultural studies, Goldsmiths, University of London
Professor Roberto Veneziani Economics and finance, Queen Mary University of London
Conor Crummey Law, Queen Mary University of London
Dr Tanzil Chowdhury Law, Queen Mary University of London
Professor Catherine Rottenberg American and Canadian Studies, University of Nottingham

— to www.theguardian.com

Related posts

Pension lifetime allowance: Will the rates be frozen?

Pension lifetime allowance: Will the rates be frozen?

February 28, 2021
EU Court to Consider if an Irish Pension can be Exempted from a UK Bankruptcy Estate

Gig economy workers: the UK Supreme Court rules

February 26, 2021
Previous Post

UK industry digests minimum income test in ECJ pensions guarantee ruling | News

Next Post

Undermining SF is a tactic to deflect from FF and FG’s failings

Next Post
Undermining SF is a tactic to deflect from FF and FG’s failings

Undermining SF is a tactic to deflect from FF and FG’s failings

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

RECOMMENDED NEWS

Opposition bill seeks to reverse public sector pension changes in Alberta

Opposition bill seeks to reverse public sector pension changes in Alberta

9 months ago
Donald Trump is asked exactly what ‘Obamagate crime’ Barack Obama committed

Donald Trump is asked exactly what ‘Obamagate crime’ Barack Obama committed

10 months ago
Inside DWP’s digital coronavirus response – APIs, reuse and micro-services

Inside DWP’s digital coronavirus response – APIs, reuse and micro-services

7 months ago
SNP have thrown Margaret Ferrier out to the wolves

SNP have thrown Margaret Ferrier out to the wolves

5 months ago

FOLLOW US

  • 81 Followers
  • 27.6k Followers

BROWSE BY CATEGORIES

  • Government Pension Policy
  • Pension Changes
  • Pension Information
  • Pension Policy
  • Pension Rights
  • Retirement Pension
  • Uncategorized

BROWSE BY TOPICS

2021 2021 Pensions bbc news CCP retirement check my state pension civil service pension reform Disabled pensions drawdown government policy examples uk how much is state pension lic pension plans Minutes of Meeting new state pension PAB Meeting Minutes PAB Minutes Pension age pension changes announced today pension issues pension meaning pension ombudsman pension plan pension reform definition Pensions Advisory Service Pensions Brexit pension scheme uk Pensions outlook retirement 2 million retirement pension sbi life saral pension plan calculator scams scheme funding Single mothers pensions State Pension State Pension age state pension changes state pension forecast State Pensions State triple lock the pensions regulator Therese Coffey uk pension age uk pension for eu citizens after brexit UK State Pension uk state pension age uk state pension calculator

POPULAR NEWS

  • Multiemployer pension reform not happening this year

    Multiemployer pension reform not happening this year

    5 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Exit payment cap: Implications for the LGPS

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Public Service Pensions Update | October 2020

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What is the average UK retirement income?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • NEST: More than a pension | Country Report

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Follow us on social media:

Recent News

  • Freeports, green recovery and levelling up: What North West business leaders want from Budget 2021
  • Capital Gains Tax: Rishi Sunak’s Budget may mean ‘stealth’ change to CGT | Personal Finance | Finance
  • Enfield Council slammed over £30m fossil fuel investments

Category

  • Government Pension Policy
  • Pension Changes
  • Pension Information
  • Pension Policy
  • Pension Rights
  • Retirement Pension
  • Uncategorized

Recent News

Freeports, green recovery and levelling up: What North West business leaders want from Budget 2021

Freeports, green recovery and levelling up: What North West business leaders want from Budget 2021

March 2, 2021
Capital Gains Tax: Rishi Sunak’s Budget may mean ‘stealth’ change to CGT | Personal Finance | Finance

Capital Gains Tax: Rishi Sunak’s Budget may mean ‘stealth’ change to CGT | Personal Finance | Finance

March 2, 2021
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Careers
  • Contact

© 2020 Please contact us on partnership@pensionchanges.co.uk if you would like to reach our audience.

No Result
View All Result
  • Contact

© 2020 Please contact us on partnership@pensionchanges.co.uk if you would like to reach our audience.