University staff to vote on strike action over pensions and pay

Source - https://www.itv.com/news/2021-09-21/university-staff-to-be-balloted-for-strike-action-over-pensions-and-pay

"University staff are set to vote on strike action before Christmas in a dispute over pensions, pay and working conditions.

The University and College Union (UCU) said its members will be balloted in October on whether or not to strike this academic term.

The dispute over pensions comes after a joint negotiating committee supported proposals by Universities UK (UUK) to deal with an estimated £15 billion funding shortfall in the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS).

The union said changes to the USS pension scheme will mean a typical lecturer on a £42,000 a year salary will lose 35% of their guaranteed retirement benefits.

Strike ballots will open at 152 universities across the UK on October 18, UCU’s higher education committee said.

The ballot will close on November 4 and the union will consider the results on November 8. Strikes could take place before Christmas."

Unfortunately for uni staff, I don't think the general public have a great deal of sympathy for them right now. If they strike they will alienate people further which is a shame as it sounds like they do have a legitimate reason to strike. However, that will be lost in the general feeling that it's time they just got on with their job after the sub optimal teaching experience students have suffered which they are still suffering at many unis who are still restricting face to face learning.

Unfortunately for uni staff, I don't think the general public have a great deal of sympathy for them right now. If they strike they will alienate people further which is a shame as it sounds like they do have a legitimate reason to strike. However, that will be lost in the general feeling that it's time they just got on with their job after the sub optimal teaching experience students have suffered which they are still suffering at many unis who are still restricting face to face learning.

I get why they want to go on strike, but frankly, I don't think this will be well-received at all. They're not very favourably viewed at the moment by the general public for a plethora of reasons, and this will just make it worse. The retirement benefits stuff is fair, but people won't see it.

I also understand why, but I just don't think this is the right time to strike or the right way to get their voices heard.

Students haven't had a normal uni year for ages, and they want to make this one even worse for students despite this not having anything to do with them. That will never go down well.

What is the right way?

That isn't what is important. What is important is what the impact of the strike will be.

Just because they can't come up with an alternative doesn't mean it is right to strike.

So in your opinion they should just shut up and stop complaining despite losing money on a pension they have paid in for?

If you want someone to blame someone then blame the university to ****ing it up, the staff just want what they are owed.

I fully support their strike action.

Although I understand the argument here, a strikes purpose in to cause as much disruption as possible to attempt to force those that they are negotiating with to give them a fairer offer in order to stop the strike from going ahead.
So the mere fact that so many wish for this year to be “normal” the timing will probably work in the strikers favour I’d have thought.

No, that isn't what I said and you know it.

The staff can demand what they are owed, but not by throwing another group of people under the bus. How is that right?

Which is disgraceful. They are using the terrible time many students have had for their gain. It is wrong.