A union chief has accused a North East university of trying to “blackmail” staff, as a major dispute over pensions rumbles on.
Striking lecturers at Northumbria University, in Newcastle, staged a rally through the heart of the city centre on Wednesday afternoon.
Around 200 people marched from Newcastle Civic Centre to Grey’s Monument on day 13 of their industrial action over what the University and College Union (UCU) has branded a “pension theft”.
University managers want to save £11 million per year by having staff switch pension schemes, which the union has claimed will leave some employees significantly worse off.
Staff who move to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) have been guaranteed a pay rise, but the university has said it will only “consider” one for those who choose to stay on the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS).
The university, which recently announced that it must make £25 million worth of cuts by the end of this year, says that the TPS comes with higher costs due to employer contributions of 28.68% and that the financial savings could be used to “enhance the student experience, improve our facilities for students and staff, and strengthen our financial sustainability”.
Attempting negotiation
UCU general secretary Jo Grady told attendees at Wednesday’s rally that the union was “investigating every legal route possible” to challenge the university.
She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “One of the problems we have in this country more broadly, but that we definitely have in higher education, is that we allow people who have created a £25 million deficit to then say ‘leave it to me to clean up the mess’. It is an absolute disgrace that people have created such a poor governance situation then get to say other people are the shock absorbers of their mistakes.
“Our union, when we are negotiated with properly, we are really creative about how to help a university weather a financial crisis, get through an annual deficit. There are many ways the university community can work together to do that. What Northumbria are doing is not asking us to work with them in partnership, it is asking our members to tolerate being blackmailed and receive an inferior pension. I don’t think the management of Northumbria are speaking with any credibility and I don’t think people trust them.”
Local UCU branch chair Adam Hansen claimed that the university had “walked away from negotiations” and that staff are “still very angry”.
UCU members are due to be on strike for the remainder of this week and for a further five days in April if the dispute remains unresolved.
Northumbria University Comment
A spokesperson for Northumbria University said on Wednesday: “The UK higher education sector faces significant financial challenges. With nearly half of English universities forecasting deficits, all universities are carefully examining how they operate to ensure their future success and Northumbria is no different.
“This week, Universities UK and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association have jointly written to the Chair of the Education Committee outlining the impact of the cost of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme on university finances nationwide, and formally asking the government to remove the obligation for Post-92 universities to offer the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
“To be clear, we are not forcing anyone out of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme, nor are we freezing pay. We are offering colleagues the opportunity to join the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) as an alternative to TPS should they wish to do so. USS is the pension scheme in place for the majority of academic staff in higher education in the UK, including those at Newcastle and Durham universities, and is also the scheme that UCU offers to its own employees.
“Colleagues who choose to remain in TPS will continue to receive annual increments until they reach the top of their grade, and may access higher salaries if promoted, and we have committed to review salaries for those who remain in TPS with UCU this summer.”
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO OUR CROWDFUNDER
HELP US BECOME STRONGER SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER POWERFUL CITIZEN JOURNALISM!
