strike – The Orbital

UCU Announces 8 Day Strike Affecting 60 Universities

8Nov

By Kaelin DignamNo Comments

News

UCU Announces 8 Day Strike Affecting 60 Universities

Two days ago the day this article was written the University and College Union announced eight days of strike starting this month, which will affect 60 universities across the country including Royal Holloway. The strike will take action between Monday 25th of November to Wednesday 4th of December. The action has been called in response to concerns regarding member contributions to the USS pension scheme, pay and conditions. There have been talks which could indicate the dispute could be resolved without industrial action, however this so far seems unlikely. Last week UCU members backed strike action in two separate legal disputes, one on pensions and one on pay and working conditions. Overall, 79% of UCU members voted for strike action in the ballot over changes to pensions. In the ball...

23Feb

By Michele TheilNo Comments

News

Strike Action: Week One

Strikes over the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) occurred yesterday (Thursday February 22) and today (Friday February 23) at universities all over the country. These two days of strike action ended the first week of a planned four weeks of strike action, called for by the Universities and College Union (UCU) as a result of lecturers and academics losing their defined contribution scheme to their pensions. Thursday’s strike saw a large turnout of lecturers from several departments that contributed to the atmosphere of the entire event. The strike leader, a designated representative of the UCU donning a high-visibility jacket and coordinating the picket line, was quick to discuss the picketing situation with security guards from RHUL. The security guards cited an official law tha...

4Feb

By Maria GreenNo Comments

News

UCU Strike Action at Royal Holloway

The University and College Union (UCU) has announced that 61 universities will be taking part in 14 strike dates, beginning with a two-day walkout on 22 and 23 February. The UCU represents over 110,000 people in universities, colleges, prisons, adult education and training organisations across the UK, and is the largest staff trade union at Royal Holloway. 61 universities, including Royal Holloway, are protesting in response to proposed changes to the USS pension scheme: the largest pension scheme for higher education institutions in the UK. The 14 days of industrial action were announced on January 29. The two-day walkout on 22 and 23 February will escalate to three, four and five day strikes in the following weeks (26-28 February, 5-8 March, 12-16 March). On 23 January, the J...

26Nov

By No Comments

News

UCU marking boycott hits Royal Holloway

The University and College Union has undertaken a boycott on the marking of formative work and setting of coursework in a bid to make the Government reassess changes to the pensions of University teaching staff. The strike began on the 6th of November in over 69 British institutions, including Royal Holloway, meaning hundreds of thousands of students will be affected. The industrial action is centred around a dispute regarding the Universities Superannuation Scheme. The scheme is in a predicted £8bn of debt and, hence, wishes to reduce the pensions payable to teaching staff by 11-27%: in real terms this could result in a cut to pensions of £3000 to £12000 annually. The general secretary of the UCU Sally Hunt has been quoted saying that the current proposals were ‘full of holes’, and tha...