University strikes remain on as UCU rejects proposals

Posted on 13 March 2018 by cardiff

13 March 2018

University strikes remain on as UCU rejects proposals

UCU has rejected a proposal drawn up at talks between the union and Universities UK (UUK) to end the university pensions strike. UCU representatives from the universities where staff are on strike over plans to cut their pensions met at the union’s headquarters today (Tuesday).

The union is calling for urgent negotiations with the universities’ representatives Universities UK aimed at resolving the dispute. The union said the strikes and action short of a strike remain on, and it would 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 was not resolved.

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. We want urgent talks with the universities’ representatives to try and find a way to get this dispute resolved.’

https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/9401/University-strikes-remain-on-as-UCU-rejects-proposals

Strike Meeting 10am Cathays Community Centre

Posted on 12 March 2018 by cardiff

An agreement was reached between UCU and UUK under the auspices of Acas following 6 days of talks. UCU’s Higher Education Committee and branch representatives will meet tomorrow to consider its contents and whether or not it should be accepted.

Cardiff UCU will be holding a strike meeting at 10am in the Cathays Community Centre to review the proposals and gauge the response of the membership in Cardiff. One of our executive committee members is travelling to the meeting in London and will be in touch whilst travelling.

[If you come to this meeting would you please use toilets elsewhere before coming so we do not put too much pressure on the facilities]

The Rally is still due to take place at 11am with bus(es) to the lobby at 11:30am.

Strike bulletin #10

Posted on 12 March 2018 by cardiff

Welcome back for a full five days of picketing. What can we say? We’re sad to be out here but glad to be out with so many great people, fighting to protect the university we want and the values that it stands for. We were really heartened to hear at today’s mid-morning rally that Physics has grown from a picket of one to a gathering of 16 outside. JOMEC reports two new UCU members on the line today plus four members making their debut at a picket. Staff have not been scared away by the length of this strike and its costliness; in fact, it has demonstrated our commitment and inspired numbers to grow.

“Backbeat, the word is on the street that the USS numbers are wrong…”

Today’s rally was also a chance to show our creativity. Various members have been adapting song lyrics to suit our purposes, and we’re happy to showcase that talent. Nicky Priaulx and Steve Davies gave their treatment to “Wonderwall”, and as an added bonus, they came to the rally prepared with photocopies, so everyone can join in. Carina Girvan from SocSci gave us a version of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, penning a plaintive tune to Colin to keep his hands off our pensions. And Michael Munnik somehow managed to play a disco classic on the ukulele, getting the crowd to sing out that “It’s like thunder, lightning – the way you treat us is frightening!” Plenty of messages to those making the decisions that are keeping us out on the street.

“I’m beggin’ of you, please don’t take our pension…”

Following the rally, many staff and students met in the Bingo Hall at Cathays Community Centre for an open meeting – a chance to check in with each other, update on where we are and what strategies we need to win this struggle. We have plans for further engagement with students, asking each other for concrete ways to reach out and also dealing with the clashes that may come for many of us when we’re asked to reschedule work we’ve missed on strike days. This will be a challenge for many in the next few weeks, so keep in touch with each other and with UCU reps: we’re here to support each other when things get difficult! We also took the opportunity to update members on our joint statement from last week with the Vice-Chancellor and reiterate our campaign goals. Here’s what we still want, to ensure best protection for staff and for students. (Full statement is here.)

Teach-outs took place at Cathays Methodist Church, on the theme of Crime and Justice. This included a look at the fascinating work of the Cardiff University Innocence Project (you can find out more about their work in this great, slightly dated article in the Guardian).

“It’s no secret about it – we’re experts at this stuff, so see to it that we retire with enough…”

Tomorrow is a great opportunity to present our case to the political powers here in Wales. We’ve organised a lobby at the Senedd at noon. Cardiff UCU has laid out for a coach to take some of us down to the Bay after the rally at Main Building. Hop on or make your own way down. We want a good, strong showing, and you can meet your AM and talk with them directly about why this is important. We’ve gotten great support already from politicians, but this takes things up a notch.

Our main aim is to build on that impressive political support and encourage the Welsh Labour government to intervene with Universities UK and back the UCU’s objective: to keep our direct benefit pensions. If you haven’t already told us you’re coming, sign up here. If interest is high, we can put on a second coach, so click now and join us at the Senedd tomorrow. Don’t worry about limits on who can come into the building – it’s also really important that we get a contingent outside, bringing our usual energetic rally to a very public and powerful place. AMs will come out to address us, and we’re getting a strong indication that a contingent will be able to meet directly with the Education Minister to discuss our case.

We will be back in central Cardiff in time for the teach-outs, again at Cathays Methodist Church. Tomorrow’s theme is everybody’s favourite – neoliberalism! If you aren’t getting enough active political chat, here’s your chance for some good discussion.

Best,
Cardiff UCU Strike Communications Team

Defined Benefits vs Defined Contributions in 20 seconds

Posted on 9 March 2018 by cardiff

An animation to illustrate DB vs DC. Pooled risk = greater stability against economic uncertainty.

We won’t back down (on our pensions)…

Posted on 9 March 2018 by cardiff

Highlights from the UCU rally on Thurs 8th March in Cardiff accompanied by Dr Michael Munnik rocking his ukulele.

Solidarity from UCU Coleg y Cymoedd

Posted on 9 March 2018 by cardiff

Comrades,

UCU Coleg y Cymoedd rank and file members stand in solidarity with you, and other pre-1992 university UCU branches, over these heinous attacks on your pensions and Higher Education in general.

The resolve of Cardiff University UCU members, and other branches, has been incredible and inspiring. This is a momentous dispute which has not only highlighted the unjust attacks on your pensions but has brought to light the destructive nature of the marketisation of education and the relevance and strength of the labour movement.

In Further Education we too have suffered at the hands of market forces with oppressive workloads, endless metrics, pension attacks, cuts in provision, redundancies, real term pay cuts, increasing casualisation and rocketing Principal/ CEO pay. Your fight is our fight.

This member-led dispute must stay strong to win and demonstrate that a fighting, campaigning union can defend members and quality education. We have sent a small donation to your hardship fund.

In solidarity,

UCU Coleg y Cymoedd rank and file members

Strike bulletin #9

Posted on 8 March 2018 by cardiff

Well, folks, we’ve come to the end of Week Three. We wish we didn’t have to be out here still, and we hope for goodness at the national level in talks between UCU and UUK. Locally, though, we’ve seen a lot of progress with a joint statement released today between our local UCU strike committee and university management. In it, “the Vice-Chancellor and Cardiff UCU have agreed to call on both UCU and UUK to work with USS to challenge the Pension Regulator to accept an academically robust, new and independent actuarial valuation.” Furthermore, “the Vice-Chancellor reiterated his support for working towards a solution that works for employee and employer alike.” You can read the whole thing here.

That’s not enough to pull us off the picket lines, but it certainly gives us something to talk about with our colleagues when we’re back in the office tomorrow (barring any freak snowstorms…) We are the union, and it is our strength and resolve that has gotten us as far as we are.

Fab rally

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves – today was also great because of the mighty rally (thanks Jonathan Ablitt for the mind-bending panoramic photo). It’s been our custom to gather outside the gates of Main Building at 11 o’clock, but today, we put on extra numbers and were joined by students, unionists from other sectors, and a healthy clutch of politicians. We had drums, dogs, and determination, and we marched down Park Place, past the museum and City Hall, then up past Registry (where some of us got a few thumbs-up from the window!) and into Alexandra Gardens. It was inspiring to see so many of us out there, smiling, marching, and making noise. The police figure there were 600, and since police numbers work the opposite of UUK pension maths, we can be certain we had a thousand out.

We had rousing speeches, including a fiery, bilingual, and on-point address from Plaid Cymru AM Adam Price. We had strong women from politics and union activity speaking to us here on International Women’s Day, including Labour MPs Anna McMorrin and Carolyn Harris, Beth Webster from the Royal College of Nursing, and Claudia Boes linking our struggle to the International Women’s Day Strike held this afternoon. Finally, Adam Johannes gave a passionate speech that put our struggle in the wider context. What will people say about those academics who stood up in 2018? How will we be remembered? I hope they will say more than, “Well, they sure did protect their pensions.”

More political pressure

So let’s keep the heat on. Though we have a positive statement from university management, we will continue to press them on retaining the defined benefits and removing the threat of deducted wages for action short of a strike. Though the vice-chancellor seemed unaware of any such threats during his Question Time appearance on Monday, Cardiff University still sits on the Academic Boycott list for excessive punitive action on non-strike days. We’d also like a commitment from the university *not* to deduct our pay, given the opaque conditions through which Cardiff’s reply to UUK on the valuation risk was made. And we will continue to press for clarity on that decision making process, to protect us in the future.

We’d like to be back to work next week, but that requires a resolution that satisfies our demands. Until that happens, we keep pushing. Cardiff UCU members met this afternoon with Stephen Doughty, MP for Cardiff South and Penarth. He is fully supportive of our cause and says he’s keen to meet the V-C to advocate for us.

We have organised a lobby at the National Assembly for Tuesday 13 March. Between 1 and 2, we will be hosted by Julie Morgan and Jenny Rathbone, and we need a great and diverse turnout. Let us know you want to come down, and then let your own representative AM know you’ll be there. The more people we have and from more constituencies, the more effective this lobby will be. Cardiff UCU will put on transport to get us down there, so register your interest now!

Share the word

Meanwhile, we’re back to work tomorrow. Keep strong, keep motivated, and keep talking to your colleagues about the positive spirit we’ve experienced on the lines and the positive results we’ve secured – locally and nationally. UCU membership has been climbing: we’ve had 300 new joins since February. Everybody’s affected by the success or failure of the pension scheme; we improve the changes of success if everybody takes the burden of risk and the decision to fight – to down tools, get to the picket lines, and press for the pension we need.

Inca the Dog looks determined: match her determination. Unless you hear otherwise, we’ll see everyone Monday for Day Ten of the strike.

Best,
Cardiff UCU Strike Communications Team

Cardiff University College Union (UCU) and Cardiff University joint statement on pension reform

Posted on 8 March 2018 by cardiff

Following Colin Riordan’s Question Time meeting with staff on Monday 5^th March, and the pressure of three weeks of strong and committed strike action, he has worked with us to produce a limited joint statement around the reform of our pensions.

The statement reads:

“On Monday 5^th March the Vice-Chancellor and Chief Financial Officer of Cardiff University accepted an invitation from Cardiff University College Union (UCU) to meet with staff and students of the university to account for the Cardiff University position in the current University Superannuation Scheme (USS) pensions dispute. Following discussions at the meeting, the Vice-Chancellor and Cardiff UCU have agreed to call on both UCU and UUK to work with USS to challenge the Pensions Regulator to accept an academically robust, new and independent actuarial valuation. Cardiff University is keen to collaborate with colleagues at other universities to propose the key features of a methodology that would take proper account of USS as a multi-employer scheme. The Vice-Chancellor reiterated his support for working towards a solution that works for employee and employer alike.”

Cardiff UCU welcome this, and see it as a step forward in our fight for fairer pensions. It is encouraging that the Cardiff Vice-Chancellor has called for a re-valuation of our pension scheme, and has finally joined the ranks of the growing number of dissident University managers who are backing their staff on pensions.

Furthermore, Cardiff University UCU will continue to campaign for the following goals:

That the Vice-Chancellor commit to maintaining a fair and just direct benefits pension scheme for all Cardiff University staff;
The Vice-Chancellor commits to working with us to pressuring UUK and USS to retain our direct benefit pension scheme;
That the Vice-Chancellor act urgently, with a University-wide approach, to remove the threat of deducting wages from members undertaking action short of a strike, and that all staff will be assured they will not be asked to reschedule lectures on return to work;
The Vice-Chancellor and Cardiff University management commit to deducting no pay from striking workers because of the lack of due diligence in accepting a faulty valuation of our pensions in the first place;
That the Vice-Chancellor commit to full transparency around the decision-making process that led to Cardiff’s response to the UUK survey in September 2017, since several Universities have already acknowledged that their own institutional procedures were not adequately followed; and, finally
That the Vice-Chancellor commit to full transparency around any future decisions about changes to our pay and pensions.

-ends-

Notes for editors:

Cardiff UCU members include academics, researchers, managers, librarians, computer staff, postgraduates who teach and other hourly paid teaching staff, on a range of fixed-term, permanent, full-time, and part-time, contracts.

Changes to the pension scheme:

This bitter strike is about proposals that would see members of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) move from a “defined benefit” to a “defined contribution” pension. This means that many lecturers would need to work into old age, and no longer have certain income, since the amount they get would depend on the vagaries of the stock market and not how much they earn or contribute over their working lives.

The changes the USS pension scheme would decimate the retirement incomes of thousands of University staff. Under the new scheme, lecturers stand to lose between 40-60% a year in retirement, leaving many in poverty. Junior staff on low wages and precarious contracts, who make up about a quarter of Cardiff University employees, would be hit hardest.

The Phantom Pensions Deficit Explained on Video: “The Big Short”

This video explains, in very simple terms, explains the employers’ dodgy numbers and demolishes the basis for their pensions raid. It was produced by Cardiff UCU member from the School of Psychology Paul Allen, and features Dr Woon Wong, Cardiff UCU member, pensions expert, and Reader in Financial Economics at Cardiff Business School: https://youtu.be/7PY84vOnFSk

Cardiff UCU members pressurise Cardiff Uni Vice Chancellor to use his influence with UUK:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sM8TQqiGagg

Full Video of Cardiff Uni Vice-Chancellor getting grilled by angry staff:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gJrfO2v6S8&t=298s

Strike dates:

Week 1: Thursday 22 and Friday 23 February (two days)

Week 2: Monday 26, Tuesday 27 and Wednesday 28 February (three days)

Week 3: Monday 5, Tuesday 6, Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 March (four days)

Week 4: Monday 12, Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14, Thursday 15 and Friday 16 March (five days)

For more information, and the latest news please visit the dedicated campaign pages here:

http://www.cardiffucu.org.uk/news/

https://www.ucu.org.uk/strikeforuss

Cardiff UCU media contacts:

Cardiff UCU Office:

E-mail: ucu@cardiff.ac.uk

Telephone: 02920 874443

Dr Andy Williams (English Language)

Email: llantwit@hotmail.com

Phone: 07798 603706

Strike bulletin #8

Posted on 7 March 2018 by cardiff

Pickets

It was another busy day today. Pickets were established from 8am onwards at Heath Park, Newport Road, Hadyn Ellis, Colum Road, AHSS, Modern Languages, Law, Careers, Psychology, Biosciences, Main Gate, Bute, Glamorgan. The CARBS was the biggest yet (see photo below).

11 o’clock rally

As usual, staff from the picket lines throughout the University gathered at the Main Building for a rally at 11 o’clock. Sara Whittam, a member of PSS staff from MEDIC, addressed the rally in Welsh (and translated it into English for non-Welsh speakers), speaking about the solidarity she had found on the picket lines, from colleagues and students. The rally also heard from Mary Heimann, a Professor in SHARE, who noted that support from Cardiff University students continued to grow, and over 6,100 signatures were now recorded on the students’ petition to the Vice Chancellor. Paul Brennan, Vice Chair of Cardiff UCU, noted that the Vice Chancellor said that he was pleased with how Monday’s meeting with staff had progressed and that he valued hearing from members of staff. Paul also remarked on his feelings about going back to work Friday, unsure what he can accomplish in a day. But saying that he knows how much he could accomplish if he was back to work all of next week. Thanasi Hassoulas from MEDIC, compared his experiences of industrial action in Greece to the current UCU strikes.

Tomorrow’s (Thursday 8th March) march and rally

Tomorrow’s rally is due to be the biggest rally yet, with more and more people coming out to support the action. Speakers at the rally include, among others, Anna McMorrin MP and Adam Price AM. Please do encourage colleagues who have not yet come out on strike to strike tomorrow and attend the rally. Also, bring placards with your messages on them, and whistles, drums and other things that can be used to make noise.
In more practical matters, Phil Parkes will be coordinating the march and rally tomorrow. The route is not yet confirmed, but we will meet at the front of Main Building for 11 o’clock. Phil is looking for at least one more first-aider for the march; please email Phil if you can help out on Phillip.Parkes@sky.com.

An important date for your diaries: Lobby at the Welsh Assembly on Tuesday 13th March – link to sign up below

Cardiff UCU has arranged a lobby of the National Assembly for Wales for Tuesday 13th March between 1pm and 2pm.

The Welsh Government is an important source of funding and support for Welsh universities and particularly Cardiff University. It is vital that Ministers, especially the First Minister Carwyn Jones and the Education Minister Kirsty Williams are made aware of the impact of the proposed changes to our pensions, the strength of feeling of staff and the damaging affects that these changes will have on our university. Our aim is to speak to AMs and urge the Welsh Government to make a public statement calling on Universities UK to accept a new evaluation of the pension scheme and to negotiate in good faith with a view to retaining a Defined Benefit scheme.

Two of our local Assembly Members, Julie Morgan for Cardiff North and Jenny Rathbone for Cardiff Central, have agreed to host our lobby.

We need as many people as possible to commit to coming to the lobby next Tuesday. There will be transport provided by Cardiff UCU.

If you would like to attend the lobby and help to persuade the Welsh Government to support our case, click here and fill in the form

https://cardiffucu.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/lobby-of-national-assembly-of-wales

Further political support

In addition to support from Jo Stevens MP (Cardiff Central), Julie Morgan AM (Cardiff North), Jenny Rathbone AM (Cardiff Central), Leanne Wood AM (Leader of Plaid Cymru), Kevin Brennan MP (Cardiff West), Anna McMorrin MP (Cardiff North), Stephen Doughty MP (Cardiff South and Penarth), Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd) and Neil McEvoy AM (South Wales Central region), we have also received a statement from David Melding AM (also South Wales Central region) expressing concern ‘that UUK’s pension cuts have been made without proper engagement with the university sector and the affected employees’.

Yesterday’s teach out: Mental Health Matters

The teach out, led by Prof Ben Hannigan, HCARE, involved a range of talks focused on mental health services and the University’s legal obligations in relation to mental health, mental health concerns by students and University staff. More details can be found here: Mental Health teach-out

Yesterday’s activity: Flash Mob

Led by Steven Stanley, a silent flash mob assembled on the stairs in front of the Cardiff University Union. See a short video here:

Standing still flash mob @cardiffuni & @cardiffstudents in support of the #USSstrike: Hello Cardiff Uni Students’ Union. Your own silence on the strike isn’t reflecting broader student support in Cardiff or the UK. Let’s work together; let’s talk. #UniversityMatters pic.twitter.com/5LQexX1JSJ

— Cardiff UCU✊🌱 (@CardiffUCU) March 6, 2018

Do you have an hour spare to help out?

The various strike committees have been working hard over the past three weeks, and are looking for people who would like to volunteer to contribute an hour or two over the next week. If you are able to help out, please speak to your UCU department rep.

Next week’s teach outs

It looks as though we will be on strike again next week. We have talks all week on subjects such as Crime and Justice (12th March), Making sense of Neoliberalism (13th March), Community Values (14th March), Archaeology and History (14th March evening), Creativity and Resistance to Oppressive Institutions (15th March), Climate Change and Divestment (15th March) and Wales and Strikes (16th March). All events will take place between 1-4 PM except for the Archaeology and History event which will take place between 5-7 PM. The venue for all of the events is Cathays Methodist Church, Crwys Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF24 2NE (at the corner of Crwys Road and Fanny Street). They are open to everyone – students, staff and the public, so please do publicise these.

See you tomorrow at the rally and march! Come down and bring a friend.

Best,

Cardiff UCU Strike Communications Team

Further images from today:

Strike Bulletin #7 (updated)

Posted on 6 March 2018 by cardiff

It has been a busy day today. Pickets were established from 8am onwards and by mid-morning we had pickets at Heath Park, Newport Road, Hadyn Ellis, Colum Road, AHSS, Modern Languages, Law, Careers, Psychology, Biosciences, Main Gate, Bute, Glamorgan.

We had a visit from another part of the the galaxy – namely Darth Vader who finds our “lack of pensions disturbing”. This was Patrick Sutton from Physics with colleague who managed to tour most of the picket lines this morning.

At 11am we held our daily rally (see gallery below) with input from Michelle Huws-Thomas, Heiko Feldner, Patrick Sutton, Steven Stanley and music from Michael Munn. At least half of the crowd assembled had not been at the rally the previous day, which means that if everyone on strike came to the rally we would have more than we saw at the final rally last week before the snow came. It will be important that we have a large turnout for our big march and rally this Thursday (8th).

At 11:30pm Steven Stanley introduced “Standing in silence – a meditation flash mob” and then invited all to join him in the entrance areas of the students union. Following the flash mob all those who participated spent some time in twos and threes reflecting on the experience. A number of students joined us for the exercise.

Following this a “University Matters” teach-out event on the theme of Mental Health, was held at the Cathays Community Centre. We expect to have more feedback from that event tomorrow and will post it on the web version of this bulletin.

Feedback from Monday’s Question Time
Much discussion and reflection has resulted from Monday’s Question Time with Colin Riordan and Rob Williams. [Full transcript]

We were therefore very encouraged to see that the Vice-Chancellor entered into a public email exchange with Jo Stevens, MP for Cardiff Central. Jo Stevens stated she was encouraged to see that Colin Riordan had agreed to attend the question time event organised by Cardiff UCU and understood that he had accepted at the event that the methodology used in the scheme valuation should be revisited. Colin Riordan wrote to assure Jo Stevens that he mean what he said regarding talking to UUK about the possibility of a new valuation … which he hoped would be today, Tuesday. He also said that he had talked with Chair of Council, Prof Stuart Palmer who is a USS trustee. and had enlisted his help in the matter.

You can read the full exchange at http://www.jostevens.co.uk/ucu_strike_action_my_exchange_of_correspondence_with_cardiff_university_vice_chancellor_prof_colin_riordan

We have confidence that the Vice-Chancellor will follow through on the commitments he has made – and conversations on Tuesday indicate that this is happening.

Lobby your Assembly Member Tuesday 13 March – book a place now!
Cardiff UCU has arranged a lobby of the National Assembly for Wales for Tuesday 13 March between 13.00 and 14.00.

Two of our local Assembly Members, Julie Morgan for Cardiff North and Jenny Rathbone for Cardiff Central, have agreed to host our lobby.

We need as many people as possible to commit to coming to the lobby next Tuesday. There will be transport provided by Cardiff UCU.

If you would like to attend the lobby and help us persuade the Welsh Government to support our case, click here and fill in the form

Wednesday’s activity

8am – Pickets – various school/dept locations and university main building
11am – Rally – in front of the main university building
1 pm – 3 pm – Workshop: Civil Rights and Liberties – Dr. Lydia Hayes – Where? Cathays Methodist Church

Best,
Cardiff UCU Strike Communications Team

Gallery of today’s activity at Main College: