Just days left to vote in the UCU reballots

At the same time as we seek a renewed mandate for action we also need to step up the political pressure on employers, and with that in mind we have created a tool for you to email your MP to urge them to help resolve the disputes. It only takes a few seconds to use and you can access it here.

We've seen some important developments in our disputes over the last few days. 

USS

Last week we launched an urgent bid to make employers revoke the cuts which came into effect from 1 April, on the basis that the latest figures released by USS show reductions in the size of the deficit and the contributions required to fund the scheme. 

This is another argument for employers to pay a little more to protect current benefits and call for a new valuation to be conducted as soon as possible. The 2020 valuation, conducted at the start of the pandemic, is already obsolete and a new valuation will provide a more realistic and representative picture of the scheme's health. 

Four Fights

Last week saw the first meeting of the new, 2022-23 bargaining round. UCU and the other campus unions had submitted a detailed, comprehensive claim covering pay, casualisation, workload and equality well in advance of the meeting, but the employer representative, UCEA, failed to respond with any offer of their own. You can find the joint unions' response here.

For employers to fail to put an offer on the table after having months to prepare shows just how little regard they have for staff - especially when there is already a live dispute over the 2021-22 claim, and they are refusing to reconsider their position or meet us for meaningful talks in that dispute as well.

To my mind the lack of an offer indicates that employers intend to make another substandard offer but not until after the reballots for industrial action have closed. They know that yet another poor offer will make members even angrier and more motivated to vote. 

Don't let employers get away with it. Make them think twice about imposing yet another real terms pay cut. Post your vote today. 

In solidarity, 

Jo Grady 
UCU general secretary