Last month, UCU wrote to 69 institutions warning that if they failed to defend USS pensions then the union would prepare for an industrial action ballot in September. The union’s higher education committee (HEC) has now set out a timetable for that ballot and also for a pay ballot to run at the same time.

The ballots will run from Monday 9 September to Wednesday 30 October and the union’s HEC will meet to consider the results on Friday 1 November. The ballots will be disaggregated so each institution will be polled separately. Last year, university campuses were brought to a standstill by unprecedented levels of strike action.

UCU said universities had done nothing to address the declining value of its members’ pay, which has fallen in real-terms by 21% in the last decade. UCU members in around 140 universities will be balloted over pay. Those institutions include the 69 where members will also being balloted USS pensions.

The USS pension scheme has been hit by a series of high-profile scandals in recent weeks after a trustee spoke out saying her efforts to establish the level of the scheme’s deficit had been obstructed. That claim is now being looked at by the Pensions Regulator. Instead of dealing with the claims, USS has launched a probe into the whistleblower.

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Don’t lose your right to vote because of incorrect membership details. Take five minutes to check your UCU membership details today. Doing so will make sure your ballot papers go to the right address and help ensure everyone’s voice is heard.

Find out more

Follow the link below to visit the national UCU website to read more about the dispute and why it is vital that you vote:

Universities on strike warning as UCU announces pay and pension ballots