Universities Superannuation Scheme

The University of Kent welcomes the agreement at the Joint Negotiating Committee between the University Colleges Union (UCU) and Universities UK (UUK) on 13 November, to commence a process to close the differences between the stakeholders’ negotiating positions and to consult on the prospect for suspending the current industrial action from 20 November until the JNC scheduled for 15 January 2015.

The University understands the anxieties felt by many staff about their future pension arrangements. We do not, however, believe that an assessment boycott is in any way an appropriate means of achieving a resolution of what is an extremely complex issue which falls within the responsibilities of the Trustees of the Universities Superannuation Scheme. Such a boycott damages an essential element of the teaching and learning process.  It is not reasonable to target students in this way.

The University hopes that members of the UCU will respond positively to the call from their negotiators and vote to suspend their action. In the event that the assessment boycott is lifted, it will look to any individual members of staff who have participated in industrial action to take steps, as a matter of urgency, to remedy any backlog of work that may have resulted from this action.

Prof Dame Julia Goodfellow
Vice-Chancellor