University leaders are saying one thing to the public – and something different to lecturers

Higher education bosses are playing games with the public, as well as the lecturers losing out.

University leaders are in turmoil over lecturers’ strikes over pensions which began yesterday.

The front page of The Times today: ‘University chiefs split as strike causes chaos’. 15 vice-chancellors are demanding their university body opens talks with academics.

So far, Universities UK – the body with say of the pension scheme – has rejected calls for negotiations without preconditions.

It has led to chaos across the sector, with opposition rising even among Vice Chancellors. One VC is openly backing the strikers: “I absolutely support staff’s decision to strike. I’m not sure what else they can do,” Newcastle University VC Chris Day told The Times. 

And yet, UUK are continuing to spin their refusal to begin open talks.

They’ve published an open letter​ to members of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) scheme, which sets out the position of the bosses in the dispute over pensions.

In UUK’s own words:

“The letter – signed jointly by the President of Universities UK Professor Dame Janet Beer and Universities UK Chief Executive Alistair Jarvis – states that employers ‘entirely understand the concerns of university staff’ about the future of the scheme and that staff members taking part in strike action will not have taken the decision lightly.”

In public, they say they understand the concerns of staff. Yet in a letter to members of the pension scheme, they say:

“With the prospect of further industrial action in the coming weeks, we wanted to take the opportunity to let you know what the Universities UK position is in this dispute over pensions, and also the basis on which we are asking UCU to engage in further talks.”

The ‘basis’ they then set out is of course the Universities UK own spin on the economics of the pensions dispute:

“We wish to continue to discuss any credible, affordable proposal

“Even at this late stage, we are confident that employers would want to consider whether such a proposal could form the basis of a way forward.”

Even the universities minister thinks the talks should be meaningful – rather than just on UUK’s terms.

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt is having none of it:

“Universities UK need to stop sending out mixed messages on whether it wants to talk or not. We hope the sensible voices at this morning’s strike summit will give their negotiators a clear mandate to go back to the table and get this mess sorted out.

“If they want to talk to us without preconditions, as the universities minister has suggested, then let’s do it today. The sector is suffering from a serious image problem at the moment and staff and students deserve much better from their leaders than spin and subterfuge.”

The crisis is mounting. It’s up to UUK to agree to demands – from even their own VCs – for real talks, not delaying tactics.

Josiah Mortimer is the Editor of Left Foot Forward. Follow him on Twitter.

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