Union claims 'victory' over Sheffield Hallam University after pension plan cancelled following strikes
After 13 days of strike action, the union has claimed “a significant victory”
A union has claimed a victory over Sheffield Hallam University after defeating a plan to move staff to a less generous pension scheme as a cost saving measure.
Members of the University & College Union (UCU) announced 18 days of strike action this month over a plan to move staff off SHU’s books and instead employ them under a subsidiary company.
Doing so would have taken them off of the highly valued Teachers’ Pension Scheme, amid the university’s plans to find £27m in savings this year.
However, after 13 days of industrial action, this plan has now been struck down - while the payments staff who take voluntary redundancy will receive will also increase.
Further strike action has now been cancelled.
A spokesperson for UCU Hallam said: “This is a really significant win for our members and for the wider University community.
“From the outset, staff were clear that plans to introduce a subsidiary company posed real risks, not only to jobs, terms and conditions, and pensions, but also to the long-term integrity of the institution.
“We are pleased that the University has listened to the strength of feeling from staff and stepped back from these proposals. Retaining academic staff within Sheffield Hallam University ensures stability for both staff and students.
“This outcome reflects the collective action, solidarity, and engagement of our members. It shows what can be achieved when staff come together to defend fair working conditions and high-quality higher education.”
A spokesperson for the university said: “The agreement includes an immediate withdrawal of the proposal to move existing staff to a subsidiary company.
“It also includes an increase in our voluntary redundancy payment. We hope this enhanced offer will result in a sufficient uptake of VR to meet the required savings without the need for compulsory redundancies.
“Both parties welcome this positive outcome, which follows a period of constructive discussions.”
However, a significant reason for stepping back from the plan were incoming changes to the TPS.
Shortly after SHU’s and UCU’s announcement, education publication TES Magazine reported employer contributions are “highly likely” to fall from April 2027.
Currently, teachers pay in between nine to 12 per cent of their salary, which is matched by a 28.6 per contribution rate by their employers as of 2026.
Such a fall is likely to greatly reduce the financial costs of the TPS that SHU was trying to work around using the now-scrapped subsidiary company plan.
The strike campaign was was supported by Sheffield Central MP Abtisam Mohamed and Lord Shaffaq Mohammed, who attended a public meeting to hear UCU members’ concerns on June 11.
UCU Hallam said that while this outcome “is a major step forward, significant challenges remain.”
The spokesperson said: “Our immediate focus now is on supporting academic staff at risk of redundancy and ensuring that Sheffield Hallam University management does everything possible to avoid compulsory redundancies.
“We will continue to work constructively, to protect jobs, minimise harm to staff and students, and ensure that all available alternatives to compulsory redundancies are fully explored.”
In February this year, staff were told to expect savings made from £16m in cuts to jobs before the end od 2026, plus another £8m through the change to the pension scheme.
There was a similar meeting in May 2025, where staff members were told to expect £28m in ‘savings’, led by voluntary redundancies.
This itself came after 450 people left in 2024.
In February the university announced it is selling several mansions on its Collegiate Campus, and it lost accreditation for its City Athletics Stadium track because it cannot afford the £1.5m to bring it up to standard.