University of Sheffield staff to demonstrate to save their pensions
17 June 2011
WHEN: 11am, Saturday, 18 June 2011
WHERE: Arts Tower car park, University of Sheffield, Western Bank,
Sheffield, S10 2TN.
On the day when the University of Sheffield is hosting its Open
Day (Saturday 18 June), hundreds of its staff, along with members
of the local community, will demonstrate in a protest against the
university’s decision to end its final salary pension scheme.
Unite, the UK’s largest union, is disgusted by the University of
Sheffield decision to cut the pensions of some of its lowest paid
staff, many who earn as little as £14,000 a year. The hundreds of
cleaners, security staff, estates and technical staff at the
university now face a retirement at poverty levels because of the
callous decisions taken by the university’s management and the
university council, none of whom will be hit financially by this
decision.
The university has decided to end the final salary scheme for
workers on grades one to five, and replacing it with an inferior
cash balance scheme. However, grades six and above will keep their
defined benefit scheme.
Mike Robinson, Unite national officer, said: “The university is
treating some of its lowest paid staff with utter callousness and
disrespect. As well as losing their jobs, our members now face
substantial losses to their pensions as the scheme proposed could
reduce benefits for a typical member by a quarter. This would be
devastating for these staff who are already very poorly paid.
“We believe the university is proposing these changes only to
shift the risk associated with the pension from itself onto our
members, who find this a wholly unacceptable tactic. It is worth
remembering that the pension spend for these grades accounts for
only 20 per cent of the overall expenditure on pensions.
“We are urging the university to now sit down with us and
negotiate a way forward as it has failed to make a convincing case
for such draconian and divisive changes. We want people treated
equally, regardless of grade.”
After talks broke down last week the unions asked for a meeting
with the vice chancellor, Prof. Keith Burnett, to help resolve this
dispute. It was hoped that Prof. Burnett’s intervention would help
resolve the dispute.
To date Unite and Unison members at the university have taken
two strike days to highlight their plight. These led to the closure
of buildings and cancelling of lectures in June. The unions are
meeting in the next few days to agree further strike days.
ENDS
For further information please contact Chris Daly, Unite
regional officer, on 07879 605902 or Ashraf Choudhury in the Unite
press office on 020 3321 2061 or 07980 224761
