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UCU Pension Demonstration Bristol

513 views · Published 12 March 2018 · 1:26 · Indexed 31 October 2026

Channel: Proletarian TV · 2018 · Comedy

Bristol UCU demonstrating to defend their pension today, Monday 12 Marxh 2018.

Pensions are a right - not a privilege!

Read: https://www.cpgb-ml.org/2018/03/11/news/britain/why-lecturers-need-to-remain-steadfast-in-defence-of-pensions/

Leaflet: https://www.cpgb-ml.org/2018/03/01/leaflets/hands-off-lecturers-pensions/

The ongoing university lecturers’ strike, backed by 88 percent of the balloted votes, was called by the University and College Union (UC) in protest against the threatened imposition by employers of a new set of ‘defined contribution’ pension arrangements that would expose retirement pay to all the ups and downs of the market and slash an estimated £10,000 per year off the pension of a typical lecturer.

As the strike rolled into its third week, bringing disruption to universities across the country, cracks started to appear amongst their employers, with 16 vice-chancellors, including the VC for the University of Cambridge, breaking with the obstinate stance of their negotiating body Universities UK (UUK) and urging renewed talks with the union.

Pressure on UUK to return to the negotiating table was increased by the impressive level of support given by students on picket lines, rallies and marches, culminating in student occupations at Bath, Bristol, Exeter, Leicester, Liverpool, Reading, Southampton and Sussex.

On 5 March, UUK wavered under pressure and agreed to discuss an alternative proposal tabled by the UCU, with talks under the dubious aegis of Acas. Further talks have stuttered on since, whilst so far (as of 7 March) the strike pressure has been maintained.

Some lecturers are drawing parallels with the junior doctors’ strike and its frustrating outcome, concluding that the lecturers’ strike should be maintained to keep up the pressure on UUK now that it has agreed to talk. To suspend the strikes now, or to blindly accept an ‘independent’ fudge from Acas, would clearly risk a repetition of the junior doctors’ debacle.

Above all, lecturers should not be browbeaten into believing that pension deficits (real or imagined) are something for which they bear any responsibility.

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