By Gavin Mackintosh-
Strike action planned by Universities across the UK could disrupt summer examinations unless a resolution to the dispute over UK higher education’s biggest pension scheme is achieved, union bosses have warned.
The warning of a potentially disruptive strike comes as staff at 65 universities prepare to begin a 14-day walkout on 22 February in protest against plans to scrap the element of the Universities Superannuation Scheme . The scheme offers a guarantee of a specified pension income in retirement, but plans by University staff employers to abort the scheme has angered the union, who consider it to be unfair and inconsiderate. The planned strike follows a ballot in which 88 per cent of participating University and College Union members voted for strike action.
Over 1 million students in 65 universities across the UK will be affected by industrial action by members of the University and College Union (UCU), which begins on Thursday with 14 days of strikes spread over four weeks. Graduation ceremonies in the summer may even be affected for those students who manage to complete their summer exams.
Previous strikes were held n January, and the next round of strikes is building up to a bitter ongoing feud that could greatly affect students in the summer. Some resolution must be achieved before then unless university staff employers want to give an impression of recklessness. The union say the reforms being protested against would leave lecturers almost £10,000 a year worse off in retirement, compared with the current terms.
Speaking on Monday, UCU’s general secretary Sally Hunt said the union could not rule out strike action being extended.
“The current ballot mandate runs until July – in other words it includes the exam period and I don’t rule that off the table at this point in time,” she said, adding that they would also be looking at action further into the autumn.
Industrial action begins with a two-day walkout on 22 and 23 February, escalating to strikes of three, four and five days in subsequent weeks (26-28 February, 5-8 March and 12-16 March).
The union’s higher education committee is due to meet on 2 March, two weeks into the action, to decide whether further action is required.
More than 1 million students are set to be affected with around 575,000 teaching hours lost as a result of the strikes, the union estimates. Among the grievance of the Union is that University employers have not expressed any signs or indications they are willing to negotiate.
Ms Hunt insisted, however, that the union is committed to negotiating a solution with employers.
“We are keeping the channels of communication going but there are no formal negotiations. We have had no indication from the employers that they intend to shift that position.
“That being the case, we are very clear that we are going to follow through on what our ballot has asked us to do. There will be significant strike action from Thursday, and it will be ongoing until we find a resolution.”
Responding to the threat of extended strikes, a spokesman for Universities UK, which represents university employers, said change was necessary to plug the scheme’s £6.1 billion deficit.
“We hope that employees recognise that changes are necessary to put the scheme on a secure footing, and that the proposed strike action will only serve to unfairly disrupt students’ education,” he said.
He added that UUK met with UCU over 35 times during the last year in an attempt to find a joint solution.
“Unfortunately, the only proposal put forward by UCU would have led to unafordable contributions for employees and employers,”he said.
“The UCU proposal would necessitate large cuts to budgets in other areas such as teaching and research, and put many jobs at risk