Universities told to solve pension crisis or risk losing public trust

Policy Exchange think tank urges leaders to resolve disputes to avoid being seen as un-British.

Universities have been told to broker a deal on pensions and pay to make themselves financially secure and combat “disquiet” about their leaders’ ability to resolve the rows.

As members of the University and College Union began the third of 14 days of strike action on 24 February, right-leaning think tank Policy Exchange urged vice-chancellors to get back round the negotiating table and win a deal “to put the sector on a more financially sustainable footing and address concerns about casualisation and short-term contracts”.