Staff at a university could strike following a row over pensions.
The University and College Union (UCU) has warned that it cannot rule out industrial action in response to the University of Chichester’s decision to replace its existing pensions model with a "drastically inferior" scheme.
The UCU said on Thursday (April 23) that the university had stopped employing new staff directly, instead creating a company to employ them through, and thereby blocking access to the industry standard Local Government Pension Scheme and Teachers' Pension Scheme.
The union said it believed the change would leave workers "many thousands of pounds" worse off per year once they retire.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'Chichester University could have had meaningful consultation with staff about the financial issues it faces and how to resolve them.
"Our members will resist this attempt to tear up national agreements, shut down pension access and create a two-tier workforce.
"They have the national union's full backing."
A spokesperson for the University of Chichester said the university has been impacted by rising costs and was taking action to protect its long-term financial sustainability.
They added: "As part of a range of measures openly discussed with unions and staff, the University of Chichester has introduced a new pension scheme with Aviva FlexHE.
"This will apply to new staff joining after April 1, 2026.
"Existing staff will remain enrolled on their current pension schemes unless they wish to transfer to the new scheme.
"The proposals were raised with trade union representatives in joint consultative group meetings on two separate occasions in September 2025 and February 2026."
UCU said a meeting of members would be held to determine how to respond and industrial action could be taken.
The union called on ministers to safeguard pensions in higher education last month, after a number of institutions looked to downgrade staff pension benefits in an attempt to cut costs.
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