Students occupy Tower Building in pension row

Around 40 people hold protest and rally on Dundee University campus

Dundee University students stormed the Tower Building and planned to occupy it overnight in a protest against changes to their lecturers’ pensions.

Around 40 students gathered outside the building from noon yesterday as crunch talks between Universities UK and Dundee University’s top brass took place inside.

They held a protest and a rally around the campus, followed by the occupation of the building.

Academics have been taking industrial action since late February amid a bitter row over plans to end the defined benefit of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) pension.

Stella Rooney, a second year art student and member of the Students’ Representative Council, said: “We are here to lobby the university vicechancellor and Universities UK, to reverse the stance on the pension dispute.

“We are prepared to stay in the building for as long as it takes.

“At the end of the day, how can we learn if the lecturers aren’t getting a fair deal at work?

“They are going to lose thousands of pounds from their pensions and that could be our situation too if we were to pursue a career in academia.

“It should be a job that is valued, as education is really important to society.”

Stella explained that the students have three main demands to make of Dundee University.

She added: “First of all, we would like the stance on pensions to be reversed.

“Secondly, lecturers are not being paid for the time they are striking and we don’t want that money to be kept by the university, but to be given to the Student Discretionary Fund.

“Thirdly, we want the university to become a Living Wage-accredited employer. They say they pay the living wage but they don’t have the accreditation.”

A Dundee University spokesman said the organisation wants the pension scheme to be “sustainable”.

He added: “The principal and other members of senior management met with a small group of students who are staging a protest in relation to the current national dispute over the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS).

“The principal was happy to explain to the group the university’s own position in relation to USS, which is that we want to see a pension scheme that is sustainable, affordable for both employee and employer, meaningful in terms of providing a dignified retirement income, and understandable.

“The university’s stance is in line with that of Universities UK, the body representing universities in relation to the USS discussions.

“He also emphasised the university is taking every care to ensure there is as little detriment as possible to students as a result of the current industrial action,” he said.

we want to see a pension scheme that is sustainable, affordable for both employee and employer, meaningful in terms of providing a dignified retirement income

Picture: Gareth Jennings. Students supporting their lecturers stand with placards outside the Tower Building yesterday.