lecturers strike June 30th 2011

UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE UNION (UCU) WOLVERHAMPTON UNIVERSITY

 

UCU members at Wolverhampton University will take strike action on Thursday 30 June in protest at government attacks on our pension rights. Together with hundreds of thousands of other lecturers, teachers and civil servants, we will be participating in a nationwide day of action to defend public sector pensions.

Cecile Hatier, Secretary of the UCU Negotiating Committee at Wolverhampton University said ‘The level of unity between public sector trades unions in Britain will make 30 June 2011 an historic occasion. All the unions are determined to change the pension policy of our employers and the government’.

UCU members in post 1992 universities like Wolverhampton are members of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS). The government and our employers want us to work for more years, pay higher contributions and receive significantly lower pensions. If they succeed in their plans, a typical Senior Lecturer at Wolverhampton will have to pay £90 a month more and will get between £4,000 and £5000 less for each year of retirement. Younger members will lose proportionately more. This is a major attack on our living standards by a government hell-bent on forcing through swingeing cuts to make workers pay for the failures of the banking system.

UCU members of both City and Walsall branches will be picketing and leafleting outside Wolverhampton University from 7am on Thursday 30 June. From 10-45am to 11-15am we will be joining the local rally of PCS (Public and Commercial Services Union), NUT (National Unionof Teachers), ATL (Association of Teachers and Lecturers) and UCU members and supporters outside Metro ONE (by the tram stop, opposite police station) in Wolverhampton centre. Then we will travel to Birmingham for a midday march and rally, assembling at 12 noon in Victoria Square with the march setting off at 12.30.

Sally Hunt, General Secretary of UCU said on 27 June 2011 ‘We remain committed to a negotiated solution to the pensions row. However, it is incredibly disappointing that the government does not seem to share that desire….. The real truth is that while ordinary people suffer huge cuts in their standard of living, the richest 1,000 people in Britain saw their collective wealth rise by 18% last year’. 

Contacts:

Cecile Hatier, Secretary of the UCU Negotiating Committee (c.hatier@wlv.ac.uk 079 66 5333 67)

Aidan Byrne, Secretary of the City campus UCU branch (a.byrne2@wlv.ac.uk 07887 803380)

Ben Andrews, Secretary of the Walsall campus UCU branch (ben.andrews@wlv.ac.uk  07770515613)