The thought of taking part in industrial action and losing pay can be daunting so here is what you can be deducted (it is often less than people think), how to check your payslip, and what help is available.
How much is deducted?
1/365th of your gross salary will be deducted for each day of strike action. If you are part-time it will be calculated on your Full Time Equivalent (FTE). For hourly paid, casualised staff, you will not be paid for the work that was scheduled. So if e.g. you normally get paid for two hours work on one day per week and that day falls on a strike day you will receive no pay for that week.
USS pension deductions are taken as if you have earned your full salary and after tax the total net deduction usually ends up being less than 1/365th per day.
How can I check?
At the time of writing deduction will appear on your payslip as ‘Strike deduction – 1.00’. The 1.00 is not related to number of days taken. The deductions should = (gross salary/365) * number of days action apportioned to that payslip.
To identify exactly how much you have been deducted per day you can compare like for like with a previous payslip as long as it does not have any other unusual one off adjustments e.g. for bonuses, contribution points, expenses, or pay rise.
It is important to note that note that deductions may be spread over more than one payslip depending on when you report them but if you think that your deductions are incorrect you can contact payroll to have them checked, and you can also contact the branch for help.
If you are a casualised worker you won’t necessarily have deductions on your payslip. Please do not let this put you off. You just need to provide evidence of your hourly rate and work pattern disrupted by your declared participation in strike days e.g. correspondence with an offer of hours or a timetable, an invoice or a previous payslip. UCU will be happy to help you with the evidence required and are not looking to make this process difficult.
What financial help is available?
There is a UCU national fighting fund and a local hardship fund. If you are paid a salary, you can claim as soon as you have a payslip showing deductions have been taken. Hourly paid and casualised staff can claim as soon as they have lost pay and their claims will be expedited.
Can I apply to both funds?
Members should apply to the national fighting fund to the extend which they can for the current action, and then the local hardship fund.
For any day of striking you should generally only claim from one fund, and the amount claimed for any given day must not exceed the amount of earning lost in that day.
In some circumstances we may be able to consider top-up payments from the local fund when strike pay from the national fund on its own is not enough so long as they combined payments do not exceed lost pay.
In the current UCURising campaign most members can claim compensation as follows:
National Fighting Fund
- Up to 11 days (covering days 2 to 12) of strike action between December 2022 and end April 2023
- Up to 9 days of strike action or deductions for partial performance (where the employer has deducted between 50 and 99% for ASOS) from 1 May 2023.
- Up to 3 days of strike (for days 3-5) in September 2023
Local Hardship Fund
- Up to 7 days of strike pay (for day 1 and any of days from 13 to 18) to end April 2023
- The applicable number of capped days deducted for ‘mabbing’ in the 28 day window less the 9 days payable by national. The applicable number will vary case to case depending on the first day of declaration and any annual leave or sick leave taken.
- Up to 2 days of strike pay (to be confirmed) in September 2023
You can also choose to claim only for a portion of the days taken and claims will be processed for up to a year after the deduction.
Given that compensation for strike and ASOS is paid at different rates we would ask that you consider. If you are using the old claim form we would ask that you consider submitting separate forms for each of Strike days to end April, ASOS ‘mabbing’, and strike days in September.
How much do the funds pay?
For staff earning over £30,000 per annum gross, both funds will pay up to £50 per day for strike action and £30 per day for ASOS subject to the applicable caps.
For staff earning less than £30,000 the funds will pay up to £75 per day for strike action and £45 per day for ASOS, subject to caps. If you would have earned less than the applicable limit (e.g. if you are a part-time worker who should have earned £40 in any one day) then the strike fund will cover your full loss.
Examples
| Gross salary | £40,927.00 |
| Gross strike deductions per day | £112.13 |
| Net deductions per day | £75.15 |
| Optional fighting fund claim entitlement | £50.00 |
| Total loss per day including strike pay | £25.15 |
If you claim from the fighting fund you would be entitled to £50 per day so total loss is £25.15 per day of striking after strike pay. For anyone who has taken all 13 days in December and February this would equate to £326.95 spread across 3 months if you claimed from the fighting fund for all 13 days.
| Gross salary | £60,022.00 |
| Gross strike deductions per day | £164.44 |
| Net deductions per day | £94.10 |
| Optional fighting fund claim entitlement | £50.00 |
| Total loss per day including strike pay | £44.10 |
If you claim from the fighting fund you would be entitled to £50 per day so total loss is £44.10 per day of striking after strike pay. For anyone who has taken all 13 days in December and February this would equate to £573.30 spread across 3 months if you claimed from the fighting fund for all 13 days.
Are there any other sources of help?
HWU staff are entitled to be members of the First Credit Union. Being a member of or joining the credit union may help you spread strike.