
The Employers Pensions Forum (EPF) was established by GuildHE, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) and Universities UK in 2007 as a broad based forum for HEIs to discuss current and longer term pensions issues and to develop a strategy that will enable the HE sector to continue to offer staff access to high quality pensions schemes as an important part of the total remuneration package.
The EPF website is intended to provide a source of information on pensions developments and the activities of the EPF and its sub committees.
the activities of the EPF and its sub committees.
At its meeting today, the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) Board of Trustees approved the employers proposals for scheme reforms. Before the changes can be implemented, USS employers are required, by law, to consult with all active and prospective members more than 130,000 individuals. The consultation period is expected to run from late September to early December.
Following the USS Joint Negotiating Committees (JNC) decision on 7 July to accept the reforms to the USS scheme, a press briefing was held by the Employers Pensions Forum (EPF) to outline the next stage of the process. In the event that the USS Board approves the changes on 22 July, the USS scheme would require that the employers undertake a consultation with active and eligible members of the scheme in their employment.
Following todays meeting of the Joint Negotiating Committee (JNC) of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS), it was confirmed that a package of proposals for benefit reforms from the employers would be recommended to the USS Trustees on 22 July. This conclusion was reached when independent chairman, Sir Andrew Cubie, exercised his casting vote in favour of the employers proposals. This is an important step in a formal process which will include a full statutory consultation with employees once the Trustees have approved these changes.