University And Colleges Union (UCU) Industrial Action – Information for Students

More information on the proposed action and how it could affect UofG students

Kate Powell · 26 January 2018 · 0 comments · Posted in: News

The University and College Union (UCU) has voted for industrial action in response to proposed changes to the Universities Superannuation (pension) Scheme (USS).

This is a national dispute between Universities UK and the UCU  because of the proposals to change the USS from a defined benefits scheme to a defined contributions scheme.

Affected staff are unhappy because this will mean they would no longer be guaranteed a certain amount of income based on their salary when they retire.

We will hear by next week what this action will be and when.

The Students’ Representative Council wants the best outcome for staff and wants to stress how much we value our academic community.

However, we encourage staff to consider that impact of any action on our students’ academic experience. We understand and appreciate that decisions to take industrial action are not taken lightly but, as Student Representatives first and foremost we ask that disruption to marking, assessment and feedback is kept to a minimum.

We hope that the both parties reach an agreement and that this dispute is settled quickly and efficiently. We also ask that the solution reached is sustainable so that the same impasse is not reached at the next valuation in three years’ time.

The SRC wants students to be aware of how this industrial action could affect them so have created a list of FAQs below.

FAQS

  • Will this affect my classes, deadlines or results?

It will depend on the nature of the industrial action. If staff decide to go on strike, some classes may be affected. We’ve asked the University to ensure that students’ assessment will not be
affected.

  • Will student services be affected?

We expect that student services won’t be affected.

  • Is this unique to the University of Glasgow?

No, 68 universities are members of the scheme and of these, 61 voted in favour of industrial action. This includes Edinburgh, Oxford, Cambridge, Manchester and York.

  • What is the University’s statement on the industrial action?
    The University’s statement can be found here:
    https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/news/headline_568688_en.html?utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=http://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/news/

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-42776449

https://glasgowguardian.co.uk/2018/01/24/lecturers-union-vote-for-strike-action/