By Overview:
The first disagreement was on modifications to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), which provides pension benefits to several university employees. Participating employers and employees contribute to a fund that is invested and used to provide retirement pensions. Regular assessments are necessary for the system to determine the worth of its assets, the cost of the promised pensions, and the contributions needed to cover future pensions.
The scheme’s income and commitments were predicted to be significantly short after a financial health assessment was completed in March 2020. This resulted in higher company contributions and a decrease in employee pension benefits starting in April 2022. The UCU took strike action in an effort to compel a fresh valuation and the restoration of benefits since they disagreed with these reductions and the methodology used to compute them.
It was evident from the scheme’s 2023 valuation that its financial situation had improved. It was disclosed in October 2023 that a £7.4 billion surplus would enable the reversal of the employer contributions hike as well as the reduction in members’ pension benefits. Thus, the UCU declared that its members had resolved their pension conflict with university employers by a referendum.
Salary & Terms:
A concurrent, unresolved disagreement centered on several wage and working conditions-related problems, such as pay levels, pay disparities for women and minorities, staff workloads, and insecure contracts. The UCU insisted on:
- Opposition to a cut in pension benefits.
- A pay raise of at least 2% plus inflation (RPI).
- National action to eliminate pay disparities based on disability, ethnicity, and gender.
- Actions that have been agreed upon nationally to address excessive workloads and unpaid labor. It includes how these issues are affecting the health and stress levels of the workforce.
There was no success in extending the mandate for industrial action on this issue until 2024. The UCU announced on November 6, 2023, that 68.3% of its members who cast ballots supported going on university strike.
2023 Boycott Of Marking & Assessment:
The UCU declared on April 17, 2023, that members had approved pension plans reached with employers, which included an agreement from the latter to give priority to the reinstatement of retirement benefits. Members did, however, reject suggestions on compensation and working conditions. These included discussions on non-pay concerns such as casualization, gender pay disparities, and workloads with Acas-facilitated terms of reference, in addition to a now-imposed 5-8% pay award. In the salary and working conditions conflict, the UCU started a marking and evaluation boycott on April 20, 2023.
In response, the Colleges and Colleges Employers’ Association (UCEA) asserted that colleges had the legal right to refuse to pay employees in full for just partially completing their assigned tasks. As we have seen such issues are discussed in UK nursing assignments and other essays by students also. More than sixty firms declared they would withhold from workers participating in the boycott of marking and assessment anything from 50% to 100% of their pay. Abolition of the boycott and an effort to extend the mandate for labor unrest
The UCU:
The UCU declared on September 6, 2023, that it was calling off its five-month boycott of marking and assessments. In addition, it stated that members will go on university strike over the dispute over wages and working conditions for five days, from Monday, September 25, to Friday, September 29. Subsequently, the UCU declared that while members at ten additional universities would strike on at least one day, only 42 university members would participate in the full five days of strike action during the final week of September. 89 branches notified the national headquarters of the UCU that they would prefer not to participate in the work stoppage.
This came after several agreements reached at the local level between employers and branches. The UCU announced on September 11, 2023, that between September 19 and November 3, 2023, it would reballot members at 143 universities. It was believed that this would free up more union activity in the wage and conditions issue in 2023 and 2024. Reports of “divisions and disillusionment” among UCU members and differences over tactics preceded the unsuccessful election.
What Occurs If There Is A Disruption Between Instruction & Evaluation?
Universities need to have policies in place to prevent or minimize disruptions brought on by labor strikes to their students. Making sure pupils are not at a disadvantage in this event. On their websites, a lot of university provide information for students outlining their policies regarding industrial action.
The various steps a university has taken to minimize lost learning opportunities will determine whether or not students are eligible for university fee refunds in the wake of industrial action. In the first instance, students can file any grievances with their university. Students can get in touch with their nation’s appropriate higher education service if they are unhappy with the resolution of their complaint or if they think it was handled improperly.