Strike action set to disrupt Leicester and Loughborough universities

Speakers at Leicester and Loughborough universities will be interrupted by 14 days of strike action beginning next month.A five-day walkout by members of the Universities and College Union (UCU) beginning February 22 is prepared in a row over pensions.They are among 61 organizations across the UK that will be hit by the action.The union confirmed an escalating wave of strikes over a preliminary four-week period that will start with the five-day walkout either side of a weekend. The universities will then be struck with four days of strikes from Monday March 5 to Thursday, March 8 and a complete five-day walkout the following week from March 12 to 16. Last week, talks in between UCU and the employers ‘representative Universities UK(UUK)ended without arrangement on UUK’s plans to change the scheme.The disagreement centres on UUK’s proposals to end the specified benefit component of the Universities Superannuation Scheme( USS )pension scheme. UCU states this would leave a typical speaker practically ₤ 10,000 a year worse off in retirement than under the present set-up. Previously this month, Loughborough University’s vice chancellor, Professor Robert Allison, wrote to the UUK, criticising

its pension reform strategies, and said it must if possible”retain an active defined benefit plan “. His letter likewise urged the UUK to”preserve meaningful negotiations “. Some 88 per cent of UCU members who voted backed strike action in the ballot.At Leicester, 86 percent backed strike on a turnout of 69 percent, while at Loughborough 89 percent backed strikes on a turnout of 70 per cent.Despite Teacher Allison’s

highly worded letter to keep the specified advantage scheme, UCU general secretary Sally Hunt hit out at other college bosses for their lack

of support.She said: “Personnel who have actually delivered the global excellence universities boast of are naturally mad at efforts to slash their pensions. They feel let down by vice-chancellors who seem to care more

about safeguarding their own pay and benefits than the rights of their personnel.”Mathew Inglis, president of Loughborough University’s UCU branch, stated:”Pensions are undoubtedly an emotive problem and numerous feel that they signed up with the university having been promised something, just for this to be altered. “He added that the turnout

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