Dear Everyone,

Although Reading University UCU branch is not involved in the strikes over public sector pensions tomorrow, I am sure many of you will wish to support those who are taking part in these actions; we know it feels to have our pensions eroded and indeed our fight over changes to USS continues (more on this later). Thus, we have prepared the following statement of support:

Dear fellow workers

We are writing to offer our best wishes, respect and solidarity to the NUT, PCS, ATL and UCU members who are taking strike action on June 30th. Those of us able to do so will visit your picket lines on Thursday to wish you well in your action, and participate in the rally and other events in the centre of town. Meanwhile at the university, union members will be taking part in an on going campaign to raise opposition to changes to our pension scheme.

We understand that your decision to take industrial action is not easy, but is crucial. As well as defending yourselves and your colleagues your actions will also have knock on effects, reaching thousands of others attempting to support themselves and their families in these ‘difficult economic times’.

While tireless activism and protest continues to be carried out up and down the country visibly, through demonstrations and protests, or behind the scenes through nitty-gritty organisation, there is real increasing support of our stance in defending our services and conditions. Despite a lack of media support, we are now seeing broader support reflected in polls taken which show the general public are beginning to swing in favour of strike action to defend people’s jobs and conditions … and some fights are being won.

Cameron’s last-minute attempts to persuade workers who are entering into considered industrial action as a last resort to reconsider, only serve to demonstrate the power that a united workforce holds.

Yours in solidarity,

Reading University UCU Branch

There will be various activities going on tomorrow in Reading, but please remember that unless you are a member of a branch of a union that is officially on strike on that day you won’t be covered by the (albeit limited) protection the law gives to strikers, such as over obstruction, breach of contract. However, the following public events (not organised by Reading University UCU) are taking place tomorrow, and all union members are invited:

12.30: Protest march through Reading. Meet at Market Place. Organised by NUT
19.00: Public meeting organised by Reading Save our Services, Blagrave Arms, Blagrave Street, followed at 20.00 by a party for all union members.

It is becoming clear that the information trickling out about our VC’s salary and pension in 2009-10 is proving something of an embarrassment to the University.  Why do I think this?  Because they have had to release a clarification on the matter to staff (staff can find it here).  In the nature of such clarifications it has raised further questions.  It agrees with us that Gordon’s salary places him as 28th best paid (but fails to acknowledge that Reading academics languish at 97th place), and also states that the £91,596 additional was pension related. It appears that this was a pension fund set up by the Renumeration Committee on top of his USS pension, for that portion of his salary above the ‘earnings cap’ above which contributions could not be made to USS.

Ok, but why was this pension dissolved and then paid to Gordon, effectively as salary, rather than the benefits being deferred until retirement?  perhaps we can do the same with our pensions?  I think not.

All this pensions business has added resonance today with the e-mail from Sally Hunt to UCU members stating that the five UCU members that sit on the USS Joint Negotiating Committee are being bullied and intimidated.  Strong words?  Well, what would you call being threatened with High Court action, and being threatened with being made personally liable for costs?  You should write to the VC and express your concern over this, see this.

With thanks to Fred for the title and alert.

Paul

Now that the departure of our VC, Gordon Marshall, in September is public knowledge the assessment of his tenure will begin. Indeed, it has already started, with some eulogies appearing in the local papers (now online here).  It is true that Gordon leaves Reading University looking quite different to when he started, and in many instances for the better, with improved and new buildings, new research groups etc.  But there has been a cost to this: during his tenure Gordon has overseen the following, listed here lest they be forgotten:

Sociology:  Closed

Health and Social Care:  Closed

Continuing Education:  Closed

Physics:  Closed

Mechanical Engineering:  Closed

Music:  Closed

Widening Participation Office:  Closed

Chemistry: Restructured and reduced

Systems Engineering: Restructured and reduced

Environmental Biology: Restructured and reduced

Apologies if I have omitted any groups, please let me know, and I will amend the list.

Paul

One of the key points of our strike action last Thursday was to get our employers to agree on a fair pay settlement for us.  You will remember that we were ‘awarded’ 0.4% this year (actually the 2010 settlement, and it was not agreed by the UCU), and 0.5% the year before.  With inflation currently 4-5% depending how you calculate it, this is obviously a significant real terms pay cut.  We are not asking for a salary increase, but just that the pay cut be lessened: reasonable?

You might also remember our VC’s communication to staff on 14 February that he ‘believe[s] that the recent pay award of 0.4% and the proposed changes to the USS…are reasonable and necessary in the interests of our long-term financial stability and job security.’ 

In light of this, the league table of VCs’ pay printed in The Times Higher last week makes interesting reading.  His 2009-10 salary is given as £249,989, and ‘other benefits’ of £91,596 takes it to £341,585.  It is always hard to unpack these figures, and so I asked the University to do so. I have just received a statement from Alex Brannen, Director of Communications, reproduced below, which states that the ‘other benefits’ relate to a pension which was dissolved.  Thus, if we take Gordon’s salary as £249,989, by my reconing this places Gordon as 27th best-paid VC, out of the 153 listed.  The THE also helpfully published a list of average salaries (see the pdf tables here) of full-time academics by institution.  The figure for full-time academic staff at Reading is £46,185: this is 97th highest out of 164 institutions.  OK, even taking into account London weighting, different proportions of staff on different grades, age profiles, etc., this is some disparity, and should make us think…

(The Reading Post has covered this story, and it is collecting some interesting comments)

…

Statement from Alex Brannen, Director of Communications, University of Reading, Weds 30.3.11

The Vice-Chancellor received a 1.3% increase in his salary in 2009/10, which included the 0.5% nationally agreed cost of living rise for university employees . His salary increased from £246,771 to £249,989.

The Vice-Chancellor’s salary and conditions of service are independently determined by the Remuneration Committee in which the Vice-Chancellor plays no part. The remuneration reflects the skills required and demands involved in leading a complex, successful, multi-million pound organization, which is operating in an increasingly competitive, global market.

 In addition to his USS pension scheme contributions, the Vice-Chancellor also received a one-off pension contribution payment of £91,596 in respect of a different scheme. This sum has been accrued in an unfunded pension scheme, outside the USS, since 2003. That scheme has now been dissolved and therefore the sum that was built up in that scheme was paid over to the Vice-Chancellor in 2009/10.