Our thanks to UCU St Andrews for letting us repurpose this.

Dear [xxxx],

I am writing as your constituent to ask for your help in relation to the current disputes over pay and pensions in higher education. As you may know, members of the University and College Union (UCU) at the University of Strathclyde and other institutions are currently engaged in industrial action (strikes and action short of a strike) in two disputes – one on pay and equality and one on Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) pensions. 

Since 2009, university staff pay across the UK has effectively been cut by nearly 20% in real terms, while staff are being asked to work harder and longer than ever before. The employers’ own analysis highlights that women, black and minority ethnic, and disabled staff experience significant pay discrimination. Casual contracts remain entrenched, and 3,000 university staff were made redundant during the pandemic. Yet the university employers are refusing to commit themselves to meaningful action on any of these appalling conditions.

On USS, the dispute centres on the fact that USS employers (represented by Universities UK) have opted to impose contribution rises for members which we believe are both unfair and unnecessary. Member contribution rates have risen sharply from 8% to 9.6% – when combined with changes to scheme Strathclydebenefits, UCU estimates that this change will see the average member entering the scheme today being £240,000 worse off over their lifetime compared with someone who entered the scheme in 2011.

Without action to improve pay, workload, job security, race and gender equality, and keep USS pensions sustainable for the future, there is a real risk that careers at the University of Strathclyde will become less attractive in the future and many staff will no longer be able to sustain a career in academia. I would be really grateful for your help in putting pressure on University of Strathclyde and other employers in the sector to address these concerns by improving their offer and returning to negotiations. UCU has put forward a proposal on 26 January 2022 which has been declared viable by the trustees but was not considered by UUK in time to prevent industrial action.

You can help by:

• Urging the Principal to put pressure on the employers’ representatives to address UCU’s concerns.
  
• Publicly calling for urgent action from the Principal on the key issues at the heart of the disputes through local press or social media.
  
• Raising the profile of these key issues affecting higher education through questions and debate in parliament.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

[xxxxx]