The outcome was resoundingly in favour of industrial action by members of the University and College Union (UCU) with 80% in support of the strikes on a 60% turnout. This led to 10 days of strike action between 12 February and 6 March.
The dispute was over management’s decision to force staff out of the post 92 University Standard Pension, the Teacher’s Pension Scheme, to the Universities Superannuation Scheme(USS), by freezing the pay of any staff member who tries to stay in it.
What actually are the Teacher’s Pension Scheme (TPS) and Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS)?
Pension disputes are often a cause of industrial action in higher education, and terms like Teacher’s Pension Scheme and Universities Superannuation Scheme are thrown around - but what actually are they and why do they cause union members to strike?
The key differences to be aware of are that the TPS is government backed and involves higher employer contributions (approx. 28.68% as of April 2024), whereas the USS is a hybrid pension scheme with a much lower (14.5%) employer contribution.
Additionally, due to the accrual rate of the TPS being much higher, members build up a higher retirement income than under the USS for the same amount of service.
This means that employees under the TPS are significantly better off in the long run.
A legacy of Industrial Action….
This wave of strikes comes just over a year after Newcastle University saw industrial action amongst its staff, with University and College Union members beginning strike action that lasted for 14 days, after management announced it was to make a £20 million reduction in the wage bill; equivalent to about 300 jobs.