Staff at Strathclyde University could go on strike over proposed pension scheme

Staff at The University of Strathclyde could be about to go on strike.

Unite the Union announced that it is balloting over 350 members of staff at the university, including cleaners, technicians and security and estates staff over whether strike action should be undertaken.

This comes after Unite said that over 1100 workers could be left thousands of pounds worse off every year as Strathclyde proposes to “move existing and future workers into an inferior superannuation scheme because the university wants to access a pension surplus of nearly £100m.”

They said that the Glasgow based university were “using the drop in overseas students as the pretext for an attack on the pension scheme.”

Unite also insisted that there are no other educational institutes part of the wider Strathclyde Pension Fund that were proposing a similar move.

General Secretary Sharon Graham criticised the university, and said that their controversial move “will be resisted.”

Image via @UniteSharon on X 

“Strike action in defence of our members’ pensions is now firmly on the cards, and make no mistake Unite will do everything to get this disgraceful decision binned. We make no apologies for standing up for our members.”

The statement issued by Unite also lambasted the university’s leadership team; emphasising the £401,000 pay package Principal and Vice-Chancellor Sir Jim McDonald made in 2o23, as well as a further £3m between the other members of the executive team.

The ballot, which opened on January 16th, will close on February 10th.

Featured image via @UniStrathclyde on X