50,000 uni staff start third wave of pay/pension strikes

New industrial ballots have also opened at 149 universities across the UK

Hope William-Smith
clock • 1 min read
University and College Union general secretary Jo Grady
Image:

University and College Union general secretary Jo Grady

A five-day walk out beginning today (21 March) will kickstart what will be the third wave of industrial action over pay and pensions for Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) members.

Staff at 40 universities begin five days of strike action this week, with another 27 universities set to begin with five days of strikes on 28 March. Over 500,000 University and College Union (U...

To continue reading this article...

Join Professional Pensions

Become a Professional Pensions Lite Member today

  • Three complimentary articles per month covering the latest real-time news, analysis and opinion from the industry
  • Receive important and breaking news stories via our two daily news alerts
  • Hear from industry experts and other forward-thinking leaders

Are you a trustee, investment consultant or in-house pension and benefit scheme professional? You can apply for full complimentary access here

Join now

 

Already a Professional Pensions
member?

Login

More on Defined Benefit

Partner Insight: Bridging the gap between strategy and implementation

Partner Insight: Bridging the gap between strategy and implementation

Funding success has transformed the DB endgame. For trustees, preserving choice is only part of the challenge. "Optionality only matters if you can act on it," says Cyprian Njamma.

Massi Delle Donne, Managing Director and Cyprian Njamma, Director @ BlackRock
clock 11 November 2026 • 2 min read
Partner Insight: Aon Run-on and Surplus Bulletin

How are UK DB schemes turning over a new leaf?

Aon explores how improving funding levels and new regulatory flexibilities are reshaping UK DB schemes

Aon
clock 06 November 2026 • 1 min read
Partner Insight: What we share sets us apart

Partner Insight: What we share sets us apart

Rosie Fantom, Head of Pension Risk Transfer, explains how BPA Plus combines guaranteed security with the potential to share more value.

Rosie Fantom, Head of Pension Risk Transfer @ M&G
clock 06 November 2026 • 4 min read
Trustpilot