Bristol University
The Bristol University vice-chancellor Professor Eric Thomas has said the reasoning behind today’s strike action by staff is “flawed”.
Members of the University and College Union (UCU) at the universities of Bristol and Bath began the first of two days’ strike action this morning in a row over pensions. The staff are taking the action in protest against changes to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) pension fund.
In Bristol, members were on picket lines from 8am outside university buildings including Cantocks Close, before setting off for a planned rally outside Senate House.
The union said that it shared students’ frustrations that the employers were refusing to come back to the negotiating table and that the strike action now looked inevitable.
Bath and Bristol are among 47 English universities taking industrial action over the changes to USS on Tuesday. UCU members in Scotland and Wales went on strike on Thursday, March 17 and Friday, March 18, respectively, and their colleagues in Northern Ireland took strike action yesterday. There will be UK-wide action on Thursday.
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: “Strike action is always a last resort and we have always wanted to meet the employers to avoid widespread disruptions. However, both sides had to be prepared to go that extra mile and the employers clearly weren’t. I share the frustration that students must be feeling at the employers’ intransigence.”
However, Prof Thomas defended the university’s position, saying recent funding cuts meant rises in contributions to the pension fund could not be afforded.
“I fully respect the right of union members to strike. However, I believe that the reasoning behind the strike is flawed,” he said.
“The recent cuts in our funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) are examples of the severely challenging financial environment in which we now operate. Growing existing and new sources of income will help offset funding cuts. However, we have to address the substantial cost pressures that face us, and the growth of pension costs is one of the most significant challenges we face.
“We don’t know what the results of the 2011 formal valuation of USS will show, but we fully expect a significant deficit that will have to be addressed by either increased contributions or changes in benefits, or both. The University cannot afford to increase its contributions.
“The proposals have been designed and communicated in such a way as to preserve the overall scheme. These proposals are born out of a commitment to the future of the scheme. The reason that the proposed changes were put forward is that university employers want to safeguard the scheme for existing and future members, with the best benefits that are affordable.”