Upcoming UCU Strike What is UCU What is

Upcoming UCU Strike What is UCU? What is a strike? What’s it about? See video

What is UCU? • UCU is a trade union. • Unions are democratic organisations that represent the collective interests of employees. • Unions fight for equal pay and fair working conditions. • UCU (University and Colleges Union) represents hundreds of thousands of workers across higher and further education.

What’s a strike? • Unions try to negotiate with managers to reach compromises on pay and conditions. But sometimes managers won’t compromise and simply impose the solution they want. • Employees (and unions) can either put up with unfair conditions or take action. • Strike action is the withdrawal of labour – we don’t work and are not paid. • Strike action is lawful, so long as members vote for it in a properly constituted ballot (it’s a bit more complicated but that’s basically it). • 88% of UCU members at City (and similar proportions nationwide) have voted to take strike action now.

What’s the strike about? • University managers are cutting our pensions by as much as half. • A typical lecturer may see her pension drop from £ 18, 000 to £ 10, 000 per year according to First Actuarial. • The changes are unfair because they are likely to hit younger and poorer staff harder. • Our pensions are already worse than found in newer universities, like Southbank or University of East London. Expected pensions for different members (M 1 -M 12). Current position: dark blue. New proposal: light blue. Post-92 institutions: orange.

What’s the strike about? • High student fees mean that universities have got richer. • But over the last decade staff pay has dropped about 15% in real terms, while senior managers’ salaries have risen rapidly. • There is no need for these drastic cuts. • The pension scheme (USS) is cash rich. • Looking to the future, USS’s ‘best estimate’ is that if it remains open the scheme is £ 8 billion in surplus. • It is only if you make a lot of controversial assumptions that there is a ‘deficit’.

Striking is the last resort for staff • Striking is never something we want to do. We care about education and about our students. • We want to return to the negotiating table. But Universities UK (UUK) are determined to impose this huge cut. • Strike Days: Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday 22 Feb 23 Feb 26 Feb 27 Feb 28 Feb 5 March 6 March 7 March 8 March 12 March 13 March 14 March 15 March 16 March • On strike days lectures, seminars and other teaching will be cancelled and we will not be available in person or by email. • What you can do: • Contact City President Paul. Curran@city. ac. uk and urge him to ask UUK to return to negotiations. • Join us on the picket lines outside the entrances on Strike days and a London-wide protest on 28 th February.