Dundee University workers turned out in droves on Wednesday afternoon to rally against proposed changes to their pension.
Speakers at City Square included local councillors, union organisers, university workers and students.
Unison union members voted overwhelmingly to reject proposed pension changes in March and later decided to support strike action.
Strikes will continue into next week.
The union claims changes will affect around 900 staff and leave many members in “pension poverty” with some losing up to 40% of their pension.
Those on higher pay grades will not be affected by the changes as they have a different pension.
Unison regional organiser for education, Lorcan Mullen, spoke of his frustration at the rally on Wednesday.
He said: “What the university is doing here is genuinely outrageous.
“They’re not being forced to do this. They’re doing this by choice. They’re looking to take away a decent pension and security and retirement from their support staff – the lowest paid staff.
“Unison is not a union that takes strike action lightly. We’ve tried to compromise, but the university has held to an extreme line where they’re willing to take on zero risk around pensions for support staff. They want to put the risk entirely onto those members of staff individually.
‘Zero effort’
“The university has made zero effort to try and resolve the dispute in the weeks leading up to the strike, which is actually quite unusual.”
The changes would see the current pension superannuation scheme – which is only available to the six lowest pay grades – replaced by a privately administered scheme with no guaranteed benefits in retirement and subject to the performance of the investments selected by its provider.
A university spokesman said a consultation is ongoing.
Audrey McGalliard, 35, turned up to the strike with her pup Rosie, as the cut may disproportionately affect university workers like her.
She said: “What the university is doing is entirely wrong.
“They’re valuing staff with higher pay, and they’re devaluing the lower paid staff.
“I’m one of the lowest paid in the university and I find it incredibly difficult to try to move away from low paid jobs.
“There don’t seem to be any opportunities and when there are opportunities, it is extremely difficult to get them.”
Emma Beatt, a 47-year-old cultural projects officer at the University of Dundee, told The Courier she was concerned about striking, but it was a last resort.
“This is all we have left,” she said.
“I’m sad to be striking. I don’t want to let down my organisation, and the people I work with, but this is all I have left— to withdraw my labour because the powers that be have not consulted with any offers from the union.
“All they want to do is cut our pensions, the lowest paid people, mainly women. We’re facing totally undignified retirement.”
‘All we have left’
Emma has worked for the University of Dundee for nearly five years.
She added: “The people that run the university, they’re on more money than we could ever imagine. They are so out of touch. They don’t care.
“I am one of those people who will miss out.”
Emma said she was told by a financial adviser that, before the changes, she would have a pension of £11,000 a year. However, with the proposed changes from the university, she would face living on just £6,000 a year during her retirement.
“It’s absolutely disgusting,” she added.
Eamonn Custance, 28, recently started an undergraduate degree in Community Education at the University of Dundee. He turned out to support the university workers on Wednesday afternoon.
Eamonn said: “We got an email this week from the university management saying there was going to be a strike.
“They didn’t really explain the crucial thing which is that they’re cutting these pensions. It’s shocking.
“But I think most students aren’t really aware of what’s going on at all.
“Of all the people to go after, it’s the most people who are already likely to be marginalised. It’s making the community worse.”
Councillor Charlie Malone, also a lecturer at Abertay University, appeared at the rally to show solidarity with the striking workers.
He said: “I’ve always thought, as an academic, that we’re a part of a collective, from the cleaners to the principal, and together we make these breakthroughs in teaching and research.
“So we can’t have a differentiated pension scheme – it should be the same pension scheme for everybody, and no one that has committed themselves to what universities provide should be worried about pension poverty.”
‘Pension poverty’
A University of Dundee spokesperson said: “We will do all we can to mitigate the impact on students, and meanwhile call on the unions to return to the consultation process.
“The consultation period on the University of Dundee Superannuation Scheme (UODSS) was extended at the unions’ request and is still scheduled to run to November 14.
“We very much remain keen and open to discussion on proposals for the scheme.
“According to its latest valuation, UODSS has a significant deficit of around £55 million, and remains high risk and increasingly unaffordable to the university as the employer and to employees.
“This is why we are proposing a switch to a Defined Contribution scheme, replacing the current defined benefit scheme.
‘Too high a risk’
“The university’s initial proposal in March was improved after careful consideration of feedback received from our employees and revised proposals were offered at the end of July.
“It is also important to note that under the proposals benefits already accrued will not be affected.
“We have listened and carefully considered these but regret the proposed alternatives remain unaffordable and carry too high a risk for the university.
“Any changes also have to be acceptable to the scheme’s trustees.
“We have already committed to putting an extra £40million into the scheme over the next ten years to help address the deficit.”