Part of 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Education – in the Senedd at 2:11 pm on 7 March 2018.
Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Isn't it a tragedy that, throughout the UK, tens of thousands of university staff have had to go on strike to resist a unilateral change by Universities UK to their pension scheme, and in some cases that will mean a pensions reduction in value of up to 40 per cent? On Monday, Cabinet Secretary, I had the honour of joining members of University and College Union on their picket line. They asked for one thing: an independent review leading to genuine negotiations. Do you agree that this is a reasonable demand, and will the Welsh Government do all it can to encourage—and I repeat, encourage—genuine negotiations to achieve a resolution to this dispute?