Broadcast: News items

Sheila Gupta, Director of Human Resources

The University recently provided an important update following talks regarding the USS pension scheme. We wrote to let you know that the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC), comprising employer and member representatives, had decided to adopt USS’s proposal for concluding the 2018 valuation, which was submitted in line with Option 3.
 
The decision will see USS pension benefits remain the same. From October, contributions will increase from 8.8% to 9.6% of salary for members, and from 19.5% to 21.1% for employers.  
 
As a reminder, UCU representatives voted against the proposal and also, confusingly, rejected out of hand a compromise offer that would have maintained all benefits yet reduced member contributions from 9.6% to 9.1%.
 
Employers and union officials are due to meet again on Wednesday (4 September) to discuss this offer, which is a positive move for all concerned.
 
This offer with the lower member contributions of 9.1% is exactly aligned with the rate proposed by the Joint Expert Panel in its first report, which employers and the union both supported.
 
This offer would be conditional on UCU agreeing not to proceed with the planned ballot on industrial action, due to start on 9 September.
 
UCU stated that the reason they were not able to agree to this compromise offer, nor consult their members on it, was that it tied UCU to a “two-year moratorium on any industrial action”. UUK have confirmed this claim is inaccurate and misleading and clarified this in writing on Tuesday 27 August.
 
I truly hope that the talks on Wednesday are conducted in the spirit of seeking to reach an agreement and to find a solution to the 2018 valuation that all stakeholders can potentially find acceptable.
 
I believe the employer position is closer than ever to that of the average USS member – and I know that none us relish the prospect of further costly and damaging industrial action.
 
If you feel, as I do, that UCU members should decide for themselves whether to support this offer, I urge you to ask UCU national representatives to put it out to a member consultation.
 
Sheila Gupta
Director of Human Resources