Student Representative Council supports UCU

The Student Representative Council has unanimously passed a motion of support for the action over USS.

This SRC notes:

• That the UCU are from October 10th ‘working to rule’ following a dispute over pensions. After negotiations broke down with employers, the chair of the pension committee used his casting vote for the first time to implement detrimental changes to the staff pension scheme.
• That the recent Universities and Colleges Union (UCU) ballots both at the University of St Andrews and UK-wide revealed 96% were against changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), around 80% voted for sustained action short of a strike, and around 60% voted for strike action.
• That the unilateral action on pensions was in direct contrast to direct negotiations which could have reached a measured compromise. Instead, the scale of the cut-backs to pensions mean that future staff will have their futures gambled away. The proposed new pension arrangement could cost current lecturers £130,000 and new lecturers £369,000 over the course of their retirement.
• That the issue is not whether the pension scheme should be changed from a final salary to a career average, since the UCU accept that a career average salary is preferable and have tabled their own career-average proposal.
• That working to rule means that staff will only be working their strict contract hours, instead of working long over that which they are paid for. They will perform no voluntary duties, marking, or attend any meetings beyond their contract and which is not obligatory.
• That the UCU have long supported student issues, at a local and national level. They have strongly opposed the introduction of tuition fees, while University vice-Chancellors and management were happy to see public funding for education radically reduced, and replaced with individual student contributions.
• That the UCU has committed to joining other trade unions in a November day of action to defend pensions.

This SRC believes:

• That pensions are deferred pay, not an added benefit of employment.
• That the proposed new pension arrangements will affect the quality of staff attracted to the academic professions
• That although industrial action is likely to affect students in the short term, in fighting for their pensions the UCU is fighting for the long-term health of a profession of which students are the primary beneficiaries. Students therefore have a large stake in this dispute
• That the more academics have the support of students in the early stages of industrial action, the less likely it is that they will be forced to take the last resort of boycotting assessment.
• That the threat to the working conditions of academic staff is part of a wider picture of cuts to education funding.

This SRC resolves:

• To support the UCU in their industrial action over pensions.
• To support the UCU in their day of action on 30th of November.