Congress decisions over USS action

The union's policy is for 'no detriment' which means that UCU members' contributions should not rise and benefits should not fall as a result of the latest valuation.

USS has proposed three contribution options to the joint negotiating committee (JNC) in order to protect current benefits and avoid the larger increases due to come on stream in October 2019 and April 2020. But none of the options meet our 'no detriment' policy - all would mean increased contributions for members. UCU believes that if all of the proposals proposed by the joint expert panel (JEP) were fully implemented there would be no need for any contribution increases to preserve benefits. You can read more about the options here.

UCU Congress also expressed unanimous support for UCU-appointed director Professor Jane Hutton who has recused herself from the trustee board after criticising the valuation methodology used by USS and the failure of USS to adequately address the issues she raised. Congress also reaffirmed our call for the resignation of Bill Galvin, CEO of USS and agreed to call for an academic boycott of Trinity College, Cambridge who have proposed withdrawing from the USS scheme and setting up a private pension. HEC will discuss this when it meets on 28 June. 

You can read all the HE motions, including those on the HE annual claim and USS here.