UCU Strike – Open Letter from UNISON Senate House Branch to University of London Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sir Adrian Smith

Dear Vice Chancellor and esteemed colleagues,

We are writing this letter on behalf of the UNISON branch committee at Senate House, University of London to support the UCU Senate House Branch in seeking a public expression of the University’s position on the current UUK and UCU dispute about the USS pension scheme.

We note the Vice-Chancellor's recent announcement on SharePoint welcoming the talks between UCU and UUK. However, we feel this statement doesn’t address the points UCU raised in their open letter to you on 1 March 2018.

We would like to support UCU in requesting that the University circulate a further message to all staff declaring the following points:

1. That September 2017’s valuation is revisited and that independent and external opinion is sought, including from the academic community. This is to ensure that UCU and UUK can negotiate on the basis of an agreed foundation of evidence, including financial assumptions.
2. That the planned USS member consultation (due to commence 19 March 2018) is suspended while a valuation on which both parties agree is established.
3. That the outcome to this dispute retains defined benefit as the predominant model for USS pensions.

As UCU have entered a further nine days of strike action commencing yesterday, Monday 5 March 2018, we request an urgent response to this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Franco Henwood

Branch Chair, UNISON Senate House Branch

Ruth Buckingham

Branch Secretary, UNISON Senate House Branch