Report from UCU higher education special sector conference, 21 June
The UCU HE sector conference on USS pensions had been achieved by 20-30 branches passing motions requisitioning a special meeting. This was to ensure continued member debate and input following the ending of the momentous strike action over USS.
It was a useful conference enabling members to continue engagement with the processes at play in the USS dispute. The motions focussed on transparency and member involvement in the joint expert panel (JEP) and defending defined benefits.
There was some discontent that only 2.5 hours had been allocated for the event, to which 27 motions had been submitted. Inevitably, five motions, including one from Leeds, fell off the agenda due to time constraints. The Leeds motion instructing our negotiators to oppose replacing our DB scheme with a collective defined contribution (CDC) scheme was passed. A motion calling on the CEO of USS, Bill Galvin, to resign was passed.
The meeting was the start of the union’s membership introducing accountability into the latest developments in the USS campaign.
Motions 1-12, 14 and 15 were passed and 16, 17, 18, 20, 21 were remitted to the Higher Education Committee. Motions a, c, d, e were voted back onto the agenda and passed with some amendment. Motions are here: ucu.org.uk/circ/html/UCU882
Lesley, Tim, Neil, Ben
There is also a report from national officials on national UCU website: ucu.org.uk/hescjune18
This page was last updated on 25 June 2018