News

QC Opinion: there are good grounds to take USS Ltd to court

Academics for Pensions Justice have obtained a legal opinion from a leading pensions law QC at Wilberforce Chambers. Our QC has assessed the scheme rules, pensions regulation and pensions law. The opinion has considered all historic and recent actions and behaviour of USS Trustee Ltd and the trustees, and has concluded that there are good […]

Some recent publications from APJ

The following have been jointly published by APJ and USS Briefs: Deepa Govindarajan Driver,  A Breach of Trust: Employer Underpayments, the Deficit, and the role of the USS Trustee, #USSbriefs 43 Alastair Hudson, Pension Trusts and the Potential Liabilities of the USS Trustee, #USSbriefs 53 Felicity Callard, Jo Grady, Nick Hardy, Jaya John John, Nicky Priaulx and Ruth Stirton, […]

The Closer They Are Watched, The Better They Will Behave

Sam Marsh, University of Sheffield, is a UCU appointed member of the JNC. He is there to advocate for members’ interests. Yesterday, he told us a little story in a twitter thread about how transparent USS is really being. This is a brief summary: Before joining the JNC, he asked USS for some data. USS […]

Open Letter To Joint Expert Panel and the USS Board of Trustees

On 4 July Academics for Pensions Justice sent an Open Letter addressed to the members of the Joint Expert Panel (JEP) and the Board of Trustees of USS Limited (USSL). Demanding full disclosure, and a public statement from the JEP that full disclosure has been provided, the letter also highlights why this step is critically necessary for […]

We’ve got some new documents from USS

You’ll all be aware of our letter to the USS trustees asking for data and documentation that underpin the valuation of the USS fund. We had a reply from USSL’s solicitors — more on the detail of the letter later — which provided several documents to us. It turns out that these documents provide new […]

Time to show us the numbers, Bill

USSL wrote to ‘their colleagues’ (not their beneficiaries!)  on 18th April. They were keen to defend the November 2017 valuation, and announce their intention to complete the 2017 valuation cycle by triggering the cost-sharing provisions in 76.4 of the trust deed on 30th April 2018. This will require increased contributions to the fund from April […]

Information Request to USS Trustees

Last week our solicitors, Gordon Dadds, wrote to Professor Sir David Eastwood, chairman of the USS trustees. The letter gave Universities Superannuation Scheme Ltd (USSL) 10 days to produce the full actuarial valuation and other associated reports that have not been shared with members of the scheme. The letter was copied to Frank Field MP, […]

ICYMI Professor Alastair Hudson in The Herald

Professor Alastair Hudson spoke to Margaret Taylor at The Herald about Academics for Justice. See Academics crowdfund case to help resolve university pension row, 21 March 2018. “Members don’t trust the valuations that have been put on the size of the pension scheme’s deficit and we thought we should try to establish independently what the facts […]