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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| University staff are right to be striking | University staff are right to be striking |
| (1 day later) | |
| Letters | Letters |
| Tue 30 Jan 2018 18.13 GMT | Tue 30 Jan 2018 18.13 GMT |
| Last modified on Thu 1 Feb 2018 10.19 GMT | |
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| University employers have provoked the largest vote for industrial action ever seen in the higher education sector. They have done this by overseeing what they present as a financial crisis for the University Superannuation Scheme (USS), and by threatening enormous cuts to the pensions of hundreds of thousands of university staff. None of this is necessary. It is the result of the misrepresentation of USS finances, and the desire of a new breed of university managements to cut their pension liabilities and thereby ease the financing of new buildings and campuses. | |
| Successive Pension Acts have encouraged managers of private sector schemes to exaggerate the risk of default. Combined with quantitative easing, this has led to a headlong abandonment of final salary defined benefit to “defined contribution” schemes, where employees rather than employers bear investment risk. | Successive Pension Acts have encouraged managers of private sector schemes to exaggerate the risk of default. Combined with quantitative easing, this has led to a headlong abandonment of final salary defined benefit to “defined contribution” schemes, where employees rather than employers bear investment risk. |
| Higher education is shaped by frantic competition for students and huge building projects. Universities can recruit unlimited UK undergraduates paying an annual £9,000+, backed by taxpayer loans. The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 even allows universities to go bankrupt. It is not just students, parents and the taxpayers of the future who are paying for this ultra-competition. Pension cuts are estimated at £200,000, with the worst hit being the youngest. The next generation of university academics, already bearing huge student debts, now face the deepest cut in pensions. There is no justification for this pension attack. 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. | Higher education is shaped by frantic competition for students and huge building projects. Universities can recruit unlimited UK undergraduates paying an annual £9,000+, backed by taxpayer loans. The Higher Education and Research Act 2017 even allows universities to go bankrupt. It is not just students, parents and the taxpayers of the future who are paying for this ultra-competition. Pension cuts are estimated at £200,000, with the worst hit being the youngest. The next generation of university academics, already bearing huge student debts, now face the deepest cut in pensions. There is no justification for this pension attack. 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. |
| Staff are right to strike to defend their pensions. The government has caused this confected “crisis”, and it is the university employers who are seeking to take advantage of it to get staff pensions off their books.Sean Wallis University College London (UCU NEC branch VP co-editor of The Alternative White Paper for HE)John Holmwood University of Nottingham (Campaign for the Public University AWP co-editor)Tom Hickey University of Brighton (Brighton UCU and CDBU AWP co-editor)Lee Jones Queen Mary University of London (CPU)Prof David Midgley University of Cambridge (CDBU)Dr Nicholas Cimini Edinburgh Napier University (EIS-ULA President)Carlo Morelli University of Dundee (UCU NEC UCU USS negotiator)Marion Hersh Glasgow University (UCU USS negotiator)Julie Hearn Lancaster University (UCU NEC branch president)Sue Abbott Newcastle University (UCU NEC)Lesley Kane Open University (UCU NEC branch president)Rachel Cohen City University of London (UCU NEC; co-editor of AWP)Lesley McGorrigan University of Leeds (UCU NEC)Christina Paine London Metropolitan University (UCU NEC branch secretary)Emma-Jane Phillips Northumbria University (UCU NEC; branch secretary)Paul Errington Teesside University (UCU NEC)Sandy Nicoll SOAS University of London (UNISON branch secretary)Christopher Roche University of Bath (UNISON branch secretary)Margot Hill Croydon College (UCU NEC)Mandy Brown Lambeth College (UCU NEC; UCU London Regional Secretary)Jo McNeill University of Liverpool (UCU branch president)Adrian Budd London Southbank UniversitySaladin Meckled-Garcia University College London (UCU branch president)Prof Alison Sealey Lancaster UniversityMajella Lane School of Pharmacy University College London (UCU branch committee member)Nadia Edmond University of Brighton (UCU branch president)James Richards Heriot-Watt University (UCU branch president)Feyzi Ismail SOAS University of London (UCU branch committee member)Prof Judi Loach Cardiff University (retired)Joao Florencio University of Exeter (UCU South West Equality Officer)David Campbell Heriot Watt UniversityShereen Benjamin University of Edinburgh (UCU branch committee member)Prof Desmulliez Heriot Watt UniversityProf Graham Turner Heriot-Watt UniversityRuth Humphreys Heriot Watt UniversityProf Nicholas Ridout Queen Mary University of LondonLiz Morrish Olwyn Alexander Heriot-Watt UniversityAnn McFall Heriot Watt UniversityProf Mike Danson Heriot-Watt UniversityJonathan Fanning University of YorkSam Marsh University of SheffieldShona Morse University of Edinburgh (retired)Maria Garraffa Heriot-Watt UniversityProf Luke Martell University of SussexAlvaro Martinez-Perez University of SheffieldProf Craig Brandist University of Sheffield (UCU branch president)Bruce Baker Newcastle University (UCU branch president)Prof Wilson McLeod University of EdinburghKathleen Jenkins Universities of Edinburgh, Strathclyde, and Heriot Watt (retired)Rick Saull Queen Mary, University of LondonJames Cruise Heriot-Watt UniversityStuart Oliver St Mary’s University, Twickenham (UCU London Regional Chair; UCU branch secretary)Prof Bryan Rynne Heriot-Watt UniversityRoddy Slorach Imperial College LondonJosh Hollands University College LondonDr Christy Kelly Heriot-Watt UniversityKeith Simpson City University of London (UCU branch vice president)Prof Dennis Leech University of Warwick (retd.; UCU branch pensions officer)Gale Macleod University of EdinburghStuart Moir University of Edinburgh (Bicentennial Education Fellow; UCU Activist)Delia Lomax Heriot Watt University (retired)Alan Forster Heriot Watt UniversityAlan Harrison Brunel University (retired, ex-AUT branch president)Stan Zachary University of EdinburghProf Malcolm Povey University of LeedsChristine Sinclair University of EdinburghKen McCulloch University of EdinburghProf Matthew Beaumont University College LondonJim Wolfreys King’s College London (UCU branch president)Prof Ray Bush University of LeedsJim Tyson University College LondonJohn Haight University College London (retired)Prof Roger Ingham University of Southampton (former branch president)John Parrington University of OxfordHarry Stopes Queen Mary University of London Martin King Royal Holloway University of LondonProf Christine Cooper University of StrathclydeProf Scott Thinks Heriot-Watt UniversityJames Cranch University of Sheffield (UCU branch committee)Charlotte Faucher University of ManchesterGreg Michaelson Heriot-Watt University (UCU branch committee)Cori Ruktanonchai University of Southampton (UCU post graduate rep)Grant Wright Heriot-Watt UniversityProf James Dickins University of LeedsProf Nicky Priaulx Cardiff UniversityMartin Weinel Cardiff UniversityMehdi Husaini Teesside UniversityMike Finn University of ExeterJohnny Darlington SOAS University of London (UCU branch secretary)Prof Matthew Williams Cardiff UniversityNick Parsons Cardiff UniversityProf Marysia Zalewski Cardiff UniversityBernadette Rainey Cardiff UniversityIain Brassington University of Manchester Prof Sin Yi Cheung Cardiff UniversityMonika Hennemann Cardiff UniversityEric R Lybeck University of ExeterProf Victoria Wass Cardiff UniversityProf Craig Richardson Loughborough UniversityProf Christopher MacLeod Cardiff UniversityTom Bartlett Cardiff UniversityAlgy Kazlauciunas Leeds UniversityProf Jonathan T Erichsen Cardiff UniversityRichard McEwan Tower Hamlets College (UCU FE national negotiator)Umit Yildiz Edge Hill UniversityJonathan Ben-Artzi Cardiff UniversityKatherine Shelton Cardiff UniversityJonathan Benson University of Sheffield (UCU branch vice president)Mira Vogel University College London (UCU departmental rep)Wilma Alexander University of Edinburgh Joe Smith Stirling University (UCU branch secretary)Nalini Vittal University College London (UCU branch committee)Alexia Yates University of ManchesterPaul Cockshott University of GlasgowSarah Wilson University of StirlingRita Hordósy University of Sheffield (UCU branch committee)Stewart Smyth University of SheffieldMark Abel University of Brighton (UCU branch president)Prof Muireann Quigley University of BirminghamProf Jon Crowcroft University of CambridgeMike Sheaff University of Plymouth (UCU branch committee)Benjamin Farrand University of WarwickProf Fergus Nicol London Metropolitan University (UCU branch committee)Sonja Curtis University College London (UCU branch committee)Helen Crosby Heriot-Watt UniversityProf Debbie Foster Cardiff UniversityAlasdair Gray Heriot-Watt UniversityProf Rebecca Ruth Gould University of BirminghamFrederic Bosche Heriot-Watt UniversitySavi Maharaj University of StirlingSara Bragadina University College LondonPeter Dwyer Ruskin College OxfordProf Catriona Mckinnon University of ReadingSherrill Stroschein University College LondonProf David Cobham Heriot-Watt UniversityProf Patrick Haggard University College LondonRenata Medeiros Mirra Cardiff UniversityKaren Dwyer University College LondonProf Ruth Aylett Heriot-Watt Univeraity (UCU branch committee)Nigel Caldwell Heriot Watt UniversityProf Manuel Souto-Otero Cardiff UniversityNicola Barker University of KentProf Alan Felstead Cardiff UniversityAndrea I Frank Cardiff UniversityProf Philip Taylor University of StrathclydeProf Adam Hedgecoe Cardiff UniversityMarc Schweissinger Cardiff University | |
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| Higher education | Higher education |
| Pensions | Pensions |
| Pensions Industry | Pensions Industry |
| University administration | University administration |
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