Dear Members,
The Students’ Union firmly believes that the changes to the USS pension scheme are unfair and fully support the members of UCU staff that have decided to take strike action. Under the proposed changes staff are expected to lose up to £10,000 a year in retirement.
We worry that these changes will reinforce the commercialisation of higher education, and threaten the future of Universities around the country.
This strike has short-term, negative implications (which we’re working hard to address – read more here), but we believe that the changes being proposed will cause much more damage in the long term. We encourage students to consider this while engaging in the debate around strikes.
An Essex student Jake Parkins submitted an SU Student Idea to increase support for the strikes. The idea was very well received and we’ve been working with Jake to work out how the SU can support UCU members.
Going forward, the SU will be publicly supporting the strikes and helping to protect the future of higher education. This will include:
- Student officers supporting university staff on the picket line
- Advertising meetings, assemblies and workshops that students can attend
- Using the digital screens around campus to demonstrate support for staff striking
- Publishing articles on the SU website
- Sharing news and articles relating to the strike on social media
Please continue to send us any issues or concerns and we'll make sure that these continue to be represented.
Zoe Garshong (SU President) and Edmund Walker (SU Vice President Education)