Universities Withholding Millions from Staff Involved in UCU Strike
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FR IDAY, 8 TH JUNE, 2018 – Keep the Cat Free – ISSUE 1696 Felix The Student Newspaper of Imperial College London NEWS Rugby club suspended after naked Churchill snap PAGE 4 ARTS Aftermath: can there be art after warfare? PAGE 14 The battle over pay continues // Flickr MUSIC Universities withholding millions from staff involved in UCU strike NEWS the near future. College London withheld In a statement, the graduation. Kanye West: do A series of Freedom of just under £280,000 from College said money A spokesperson for Im- Fred Fyles Information requests to staff in March and April; retained from striking perial College UCU said we hate the new Editor-in-Chief Russell Group universities this number is likely to staff “have been retained they were still waiting Ye? revealed those whose staff increase in the coming by the relevant academic to hear about the total took part in the University months. departments to support amount to be deducted PAGE 19 Russell Group and College Union (UCU) Imperial College has their efforts to mitigate from their members: universities have industrial action have withheld a full day’s the impact of the strikes.” “UCU is still awaiting a already withheld £8 withheld £8,248,376 from pay for each day a staff A large proportion of response from manage- academic and support member took part in the other Russell Group uni- ment on the total amount TRAVEL million in salaries, with staff thus far. Further strike, defined as 1/365th versities have ring-fenced of money that wasn’t paid further deductions on deductions will take the of their annual salary. The the retained salaries for to those who participated the horizon. total retained by Russell College has also withheld student support: UCL is in the UCU strike over Group universities to over 25% of a day’s pay for donating the money to the USS pensions. We also ussell Group £10 million. Action Short Of a Strike UCL Financial Assistance asked for this money to universities Russell Group uni- (ASOS) – working to con- Fund for students, while be used to help students have withheld versities are planning tract, and refusing to cover the University of Durham directly by transferring over £8 mil- to deduct an average of for absent colleagues or is paying the money into it to the student hardship Rlion in salaries from over £800,000 from the reschedule classes – al- the Student Hardship fund. However we’ve The Golden staff members who par- salaries of staff who took though it says it “reserves Fund. The University learned that the money City: travelling ticipated in this year’s part in the strike, which the right to review this of Manchester is using has been kept within in- in San Francisco strikes, with further ran for four weeks in Feb- percentage should the some of the money to dividual departments but deductions planned for ruary and March. Imperial dispute escalate”. waive its gown hire fee at Cont. pg 3 PAGE 26 FR IDAY, 8 TH JUNE, 2018 FELIX FELIX ISSUE 1696 EDITORIAL NEWS [email protected] CONTENTS EDITORIAL 2 Where is the money going? Pay deductions from strikes continue, as Imperial NEWS 3-5 les – Felix E COMMENT 6-7 o, we’re nearly Fy dit the strike – particularly in at the end. This ed or a city like London, where The Felix Team refuses to refund tuition fees to students Fr SCIENCE 9-11 week marks the the rise in cost of living penultimate edito- has outpaced increases in Editor-in-Chief Cont. from front Pensions Partnership, and surplus to buildings rather TECH 12 Srial – this time next week, Imperial salaries. Fred Fyles has not been ring-fenced trustee of Lloyds Bank than to staff.” • you’ll be reading the last One use of the money, Deputy Editor to ensure that it can only pension scheme), and A spokesperson for ARTS 13-15 paper of this academic which none of the uni- Joanna Wormald be used for the benefit of Chris Curry (Director of the College told Felix the year, which will also be versities we contacted • students.” the Pensions Policy Insti- discussions have “taken MUSIC 18-21 the last time you’ve got mentioned, was giving News Editor The strikes, which took tute). Joanne Segars OBE, into account feedback to listen to my weird it back to students, who Joanna Wormald place over 14 working chair of LGPS Central, from staff raised as part FILM 22 • stream-of-consciousness have paid for their uni- Politics Editors days, saw numerous which pools nine local au- of the Pay and Benefits GAMES 23 ramblings. versity education, and had Avirup Banerjee classes cancelled across thority pension funds, will Review.” But in some ways, this been missing out (in some Divyen Vanniasegaram the country. UCU, chair the JEP. It is due to “A number of follow BOOKS 24 week is the last ‘real’ ed- cases quite significantly). • which called the strike, report in September 2018. up actions from the Pay itorial, since I know next As far as I am aware, no Comment Editors did so in response to A spokesperson for and Benefits Review are Alan Perfect TRAVEL 26-27 week it’s just going to university in the UK has Charlie Titmuss proposed changes to the UCU told Felix: “The already underway. Staff be me gushing over how considered paying back • USS pension fund put work of the JEP will raised concerns about the HANGMAN 28-29 amazing all our contrib- tuition fees to students; Science Editor forward by Universities be closely watched by benchmark data used to utors have been over the and they’re not going to, Rosie Dutt UK (UUK). UCU said members of UCU and it is inform pay decisions, and C&S 30 past year. This means this • the changes would see unless the current legal Tech Editor hoped that a satisfactory the Provost has instigated week is the last chance I battles that are ongoing members of the scheme agreement can be reached a Benchmarking Working PUZZLES 31 Tom Mrazek have to speak my mind, succeed. The response • losing out on up to £10,000 to avert the necessity of Group that will be led by SPORTS 32 and do one last bit of – although not directly universities, with monthly from senior management Arts Editors each year in pension pay. UCU taking further strike the Dean of the Faculty tubthumping before I go. affected – were aware of incomes being reduced at Imperial – that we pay Indira Mallik action over our pensions.” of Engineering, Profes- So I’ve decided to return the impact this could have for staff. for ‘an overall outcome’ JJ Cheng Joint Expert Panel de- sor Nigel Brandon, and Adam Gellatly to the topic of the strikes. on their future studies or A Felix investigation and nothing else – is • cided include representatives Remember those? Back careers. found already Russell short-sighted, offensive, Books Editors “Imperial from across the College. when the weather was While the strike might Group universities had and damaging to the very JJ Cheng A further 14 days of The working group will exceptionally bitter, and be over – for the time withheld £8 million from idea of the university as Alice Peberdy industrial action were withheld make an interim report in many of us walked past being – the effects are still staff, with further deduc- an institution. We don’t • called off at the end of September.” Staff taking part in the strike earlier this year // Joseph O'Connell-Danes Music Editors just under our friends and colleagues being felt. And one place tions planned pushing it come here to just get a 2:1 Andy Djaba April, as UCU members The College will meet Felix Office th Beit Quad, Prince Consort picketing out in the snow they are being particularly past the £10 million mark. and fuck off. Or, at least, Adrian LaMoury voted to accept a proposal £280,000 from the JTUs on 15 June to force universities to com- saying: “We haven’t heard fees do go toward several Road to get (a) to class, (b) a felt is in the pay packets We don’t know how much we shouldn’t. We come Henry Eshbaugh by UUK. The proposal present the College’s pay pensate them for teaching of a single university services, “the question is London, SW7 2BB copy of Felix, or (c) an of the staff who joined the is being withheld across here to have a true univer- • involved establishing a staff in March offer. Information about time lost. Asserson esti- offering to pay anybody working out percentages. Tel: 020 79548072 SCR muffin (choose your strike. Universities across the UK, but based on sity experience. To meet Film Editors Joint Expert Panel (JEP) the offer should be availa- mates fair compensation compensation for the lost I don’t think anyone Email: [email protected] Mikhail Demtchenko poison). If you remember, the UK withheld pay for the data we got from the friends who we will keep Ashley Luckyram to report on valuation and April” ble shortly afterwards. for teaching time lost teaching time.” would say the percentage felixonline.co.uk the academic and support each day their staff went Russell Group, it is highly in touch with for the rest of the current pension would be several hundred He went on to say: of fees that go on teaching @feliximperial Mark Aduol staff were taking action on strike, and docked likely to be in the tens of our lives.