A DEAL between the University College Union (UCU) leadership and University UK (UUK) has been thrown out and the lecturers strikes are back on!
This followed a major campaign by lecturers supported by their students at over 60 universities up and down the country demanding their union reject the proposed deal. The deal – announced on Monday evening between the UCU and UUK and reached after talks at Acas – was met with anger by lecturers who rightly branded it a capitulation.
The UCU union had proposed staff accept it and call off the strikes, but after a mass campaign they were forced to do a U-turn. The proposed deal was that the privatisation of the lecturers’ pensions would be ‘put on hold’ until 2020 and in the meantime pension contributions from lecturers would increase to 8.7%.
To the further outrage of striking lecturers the agreement also indicated that universities would be expected to re-schedule classes disrupted by the strike. Yesterday a campaign was launched called ‘No capitulation’. Over 5,000 lecturers signed an open letter to throw out the proposed deal.
By 4pm, after the UCU executive met, they were forced, by their membership, to abandon the deal and announce that the strikes are back on. UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: ‘Branches made it clear today that they wanted to reject the proposal.
‘UCU’s greatest strength is that we are run by and for our members and it is right that members always have the final say. The strike action for this week remains on and we will now make detailed preparations for strikes over the assessment and exam period.’
Last week the union said that universities would be hit with a second wave of 14 strike days targeted at exams and assessment if the dispute is not resolved.
