Dear colleague, TPS update Since we last updated members in May, there have been developments regarding the valuation of the public sector pension schemes, including the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS). You will recall that the valuation resulted in big increases in employer’s contributions but potentially corresponding improvements for career average members with no member contribution
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Bradford and Nottingham strikes over contracts, jobs and pay Strikers were out in force at Nottingham and Bradford colleges this week. Nottingham members took action on Monday in a dispute against plans to impose new contracts which will leave many staff financially worse off, and which also include cuts to holiday and sick pay entitlements.
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1. Event – Biting the Ballot: Getting Ready for the Pay and Pensions Ballots Register now for the UCU Scotland organising session to mobilise activists and support branches to maximise the participation of members in the forthcoming USS and pay and equality ballots – and the subsequent industrial action. The event will take place on Saturday
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Recently UCU warned ministers that a £1bn funding deal for Scotland’s universities could have ‘damaging consequences’ for the sector. With funding levels not having risen in line with inflation, UCU warned that the higher education sector was facing further real terms cuts. Speaking to STV following the announcement of the funding allocations for universities for 2019/20, UCU Scotland official Mary
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UCU is still offering free membership to PhD Teaching Students for 4 years! This is a unique opportunity for you to join our Union and take advantage of all that we can offer our members. See here for our presentation. It is very quick to join. Just visit https://www.ucu.org.uk and then press the button marked
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On 31 January 2017 The Herald printed a factual article on the resolution of UCU’s dispute with the University of Stirling. You can read it here. Higher education is undergoing a period of significant change. Being a member of UCU is the first step towards tackling: Threats to research funding from Brexit An ongoing lack
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Dear colleagues Recently, the House of Lords backed an amendment to the higher education (HE) bill that says universities’ performance in the teaching excellence framework (TEF) should not be linked to the tuition fees they are allowed to charge. This is a significant blow for the government and the result of a great deal of
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Governance Act We have received an update from the higher education minister, Shirley-Anne Somerville, on the timescales for implementing the governance act and outlining when different aspects of the act will come into force. The letter received is attached. In line with what we’d previously been informed the provisions of the act were commenced at
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UCU continues to keep the heat on universities with our ‘stamp out casual contracts’ campaign. Following an excellent day of action against precarious employment UCU general secretary Sally Hunt has spoken out in the Times Higher Education (THE) on HE institutions’ inadequate response to published data showing an exploitative employment model.
Members at the University of Aberdeen took strike action on Wednesday, 7th December in response to the University’s plans to cut jobs and downgrade staff within the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition. If you would like to send messages of support and solidarity, please send these to the Aberdeen branch – ucu@abdn.ac.uk