Please see the following THE article discussing the ballot of UCU Liverpool members to strike over threat to withhold pay for staff engaged in an assessment boycott. This boycott is due to the recent threat to USS Higher Education pensions.

“Action follows management decision to withhold pay from academics taking part in marking boycott.

“Union members at the University of Liverpool have voted to strike in response to the management’s decision to dock 100 per cent of the salary of employees participating in a marking boycott.”

“The strike, which would continue until the decision is rescinded, is the latest escalation of the dispute between institutions and staff which centres on proposed pension reforms.

“At least eight institutions across the UK have now announced plans to deduct full pay from lecturers taking part in the boycott, which began on November 6.

“A spokeswoman for the Liverpool branch of the University and College Union accused management of announcing their decision on pay in an “aggressively worded” email which “included threats to discipline members and make them personally liable for any damages awarded in claims made against the institution in relation to the industrial action”.

“”This hard-line stance has caused real anger across the university,” the spokeswoman told Times Higher Education. “Not only is this an insult to staff here in Liverpool but it is a threat to the national union’s ability to use ASOS [action short of a strike] in the future. We also know that, if the University of Liverpool is allowed to get away with this kind of behaviour, that it will become a norm across the sector.”

“The branch spokeswoman said the result of the vote was “overwhelming”, with no votes against and only one abstention.”

Please see the full article on the Times Higher Education.