UCU Ballots

Posted on by marcw

UCU ballot forms will have dropped through your letter boxes.

These are for several positions within UCU structures, including the UCU General Secretary, Vice-President (FE), National Executive Committee (NEC) and representatives of women members.

 

Aber UCU encourages members to participate in this vote.

  • The voting period runs: 25th January – 1st March
  • Details, including election statements from each candidate for every post, are included in the pack.
  • Voting is based on single transferable vote i.e. you rank as many or as few candidates as you wish.

There are four candidates standing for General Secretary of UCU:

 

Vicky Blake

https://vickyblakeucu.uk/manifesto/

Jo Grady

https://grady4gs.com/manifesto-table-of-contents/

Ewan McGaughey

https://ewanmg.uk/

Saira Weiner

https://saira4gs.wordpress.com/manifesto/

 

Online hustings for General Secretary involving all the candidates will be on Thursday 1st February.

https://ucu.wufoo.com/forms/hustings-for-general-secretary-2024/

 

There is also a UCU Cymru hustings event on 17th February

 

Two candidates are standing for the single Wales HE seat on NEC:

 

Phillip Allsopp (Cardiff University)

Estelle Hart (Swansea University)

 

Happy balloting!

Check your payslips

Posted on by marcw

You should notice an increase in take home pay this month if you pay into USS. Contributions have dropped and benefits increased.

Many of our members participated in industrial action last year to restore pension benefits lost in April 2022 because of the decisions of UK universities. It worked. Pension contribution rates have been reduced from 9.8% to 6.1% AND benefits restored to pre-2022 levels AND losses incurred by staff over the past two years is being returned.

Collective action does work. Join a Union.

Ending the year with good news for (Aber) UCU members

Posted on by marcw

USS pension contribution rates to fall on 1st January

19 December 2023

The Universities Superannuation Scheme, the UK’s largest private pension fund, will cut contribution rates on Monday 1 January.

 

The announcement comes after UCU and employer representatives voted through changes at the USS Joint Negotiating Committee yesterday that will see employee contributions fall to 6.1%, down from 9.8%. For a member earning £45,000 this will mean a monthly saving of £111 after tax.

The change is the latest victory in a pension dispute that has seen UCU members take 69 days of strike action since 2018. In February (2024) the deed for restoration and recovery will also be voted on, before being implemented from Monday 1 April 2024. This will reverse cuts employers forced through in April 2022, by:

  • reinstating the previous accrual rate of 1/75
  • increasing the defined benefit threshold from £40k back to where it would have been had changes not been implemented, at around £70k
  • removing the 2.5% pa cap on pension increases before and after retirement which will better protect pensions against inflation.

There will also be an additional one-off pension payment of around £900m to help make good the money members have lost since April 2022.

 

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: ‘This is a great day for our union, for members of USS, and the whole trade union movement. This is a trade union putting money into its members’ pockets.

‘We now move on and pressure employers who are now making a huge saving on their contribution rates. That money must be used to improve pay and conditions for staff.

‘Well done to every UCU member who played their part in getting us here – the bitterly cold picket lines suddenly feel a lot more worthwhile.

‘We will take the spirit and example set by this win and seek to apply it right across our union now.’

 

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13400/USS-pension-contribution-rates-to-fall-on-1st-January

 

UCU national elections 2023-24

Posted on by marcw

UCU ballot for members of NEC and other elected positions, including the General Secretary, opens on 25th January 2024.

Turnout for such elections has typically been low. Aber UCU will encourage branch members in the coming months to cast a vote.

 

A full list of candidates and the roles they are standing for can be found here: List of confirmed nominations

 

Branch members are eligible to vote for the General Secretary, along with the single geographically-elected seat on the NEC allocated to Wales.

UCU wins five year long USS pension dispute

Posted on by marcw

This didn’t happen by accident. This happened because UCU members took action, made the case, withdrew their labour and won the argument.

News

UCU’s members have voted to end their dispute with university employers over the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), which is the UK’s largest private pension fund.

Pension benefits are now set to be restored by Monday 1 April 2024. This :

  • Reinstates the previous accrual rate of 1/75
  • Increases the defined benefit threshold from £40k back to where it would have been had changes not been implemented, at around £70k
  • Removes the 2.5%pa cap on pension increases before and after retirement which will better protect pensions against inflation

There will also be an additional one-off pension payment of around £900m to help make good the money members have lost since April 2022. The restoration and one-off payment mean an extra £16-£18bn will now go into pension pots.

Read more here: ….

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13247/UCU-wins-five-year-long-USS-pension-dispute

 

 

 

Planned consultation on restricting right to strike in HE

Posted on by marcw

The Conservative party’s Minister for Education, Gillian Keegan MP, has announced an intention to restrict who and how employees in higher education institutions can take industrial action by consulting on imposing minimum service levels (MSL) to higher education.

 

This seems a confused attempt to provoke higher education unions into further industrial action, destined to galvanise members in the same way decimating the USS pension did in 2022.

And ‘Yes’ it does seem it will apply to Wales.

 

Useful explainer from Jim Dickinson at Wonke below:

Gillian Keegan announces “minimum service levels” in universities | Wonkhe