Staff Take Strike Action at the University of Sussex

Oct 11, 2008
Unite's members working at the University of Sussex will take strike action in a dispute over pensions on Friday 10th October and Saturday 11th October.

Unite will be demonstrating at pickets which will be in place from 8 am on the 10th October. On the 11th October there is an open day for potential students and their parents. Once again, Unite will be making its presence known from 8 am.

The dispute will cause disruption to the university's laboratories. The union also intends to send a clear message on Saturday to potential students and their parents that the university treats its staff like second- and third-class citizens.

The senior executives may have read George Orwell's Animal Farm - that claimed some are more equal than others - but, if they did, they did not learn the valuable lessons the book had to offer.

Unite members are striking to express their grievances over what they see as detrimental changes to the staff pension scheme, which will create a "three-tier workforce". These include closing the scheme to new starters, sharing any future deficit between existing support staff and the university and cutting the university's contribution rate to existing staff pensions.

Unite national officer, Mike Robinson, says:

"The pensions of the management at Sussex are safe but the university is trying to force detrimental changes on other staff to create a three-tier workforce. The university's senior executives may have read George Orwell's Animal Farm that claimed some are more equal than others. If they did, they did not learn the valuable lessons that the book had to offer.

"Our members are determined to defend new starters' rights to a decent pension and to stop the erosion of their existing scheme."

Source: PR News Wire