Following discussions yesterday, we are pleased to say that Universities UK and UCU have reached agreement to suspend the industrial action in relation to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) dispute from today (20 November).
The suspension has been agreed in order to allow a period of negotiation between now and the scheduled Joint Negotiation Committee (JNC) meeting on 15 January 2015 with the aim of seeking an agreement on reforms to the USS.
Any limited action that has taken place over the last few days will now be made up in a reasonable time, so as not to disadvantage any of our students; so please continue with your studies and preparations for exams and assessments as normal.
We are very hopeful that this will now allow time for a joint proposal for reform to be developed that offers an affordable, sustainable and attractive pension scheme, for both current and future staff, and will therefore negate the need for future disruption.
If you’re interested in learning about the issues behind this dispute, you can find more information here.