At the final meeting of the union/employer national negotiating forum, held on 28 July, the university employers’ association, UCEA, continued to refuse national level talks to develop jointly-agreed proposals to improve job security. With fears that over 22,000 jobs are at risk, this refusal is unacceptable and irresponsible.
The employers’ final offer to the joint unions was for an increase on pay points of 0.4%. With RPI running at 5.0%, the employers’ offer represents a real-terms pay cut for the second year running. The five trade unions accused the HE employers of refusing to engage in meaningful national negotiations in response to the first ever joint union claim. It should be noted that the offer also failed even to address many other aspects of the claim, including measures to improve equality in the sector. For example, the employers failed to make an offer in response to the modest claims from the trade union to:
- remove the bottom two pay points of the national pay spine and its extension at the top to create additional points beyond point 51
- assimilate hourly-paid staff to the national pay spine
- produce joint proposals to close the gender pay gap
- develop a national system for the remuneration of external examiners.
The individual unions are now consulting with members on where we go next, but UCU has stated that in the absence of a more credible offer they will be balloting for industrial action in September.
The higher education unions – the University and College Union (UCU), EIS, GMB, UNISON and Unite – today (Monday) issued the following joint statement:
‘At the new JNCHES meeting held on Monday 19 April, UCEA failed to improve on their previous offer of a sum equivalent to 0.25% (non-consolidated). They also failed to respond to other aspects on the trade unions’ claim, including the need for proposals to improve job security in the sector. They did, however, indicate a willingness to discuss issues associated with training and development further. UCEA negotiators agreed to refer the current position back to their board meeting on 29 April. The parties agreed to meet again on 5 May. The trade union side hope that the employer will come to the table with a credible offer.’
We’ve now produced a new set of Defend Higher Education materials in our campaign to get a national agreement with the employers that commits universities to defending jobs, protecting the value of our pay and providing greater security for the most vulnerable workers in our sector.
This includes :
Defend Higher Education poster
Defend Higher Education leaflet
Defend Higher Education petition
Defend Higher Education: local template
At the new JNCHES meeting on 29 March, UCEA made an offer to explore how a non-consolidated cash sum equivalent to 0.25% of pay bill could be applied.
The employers made no serious attempt to address the other key elements of the joint union claim; for example, nothing on:
- job security
- improving the national framework agreement and terms and conditions of employment
- the assimilation of hourly-paid staff to the national agreement
- proposals to close the gender pay gap
- proposals for a national system to pay external examiners.
Without producing any convincing evidence, the employers asserted that the effect of incremental increases on the pay bill should be taken into account during pay negotiations. This provoked a strong response from the trade unions. Unlike the private sector, who pay the rate for the job from day one, in the public sector staff start below the full rate and build up reflecting increasing knowledge and skills – arguably providing a short term subsidy for HE employers.
The employers negotiated a pay deal in 2003 that clearly accepted increments as part of the structure so to complain now, when they have known and presumably budgeted for such increases, is a little disingenuous. They are looking for fig leaves and this will not wash.
The trade union side unanimously rejected the offer. The employers were asked to rethink their position and come to the next meeting with a credible offer.
Another meeting is scheduled for 19 April.
The five unions have submitted their joint national claim for 2010 to the University and College Employers’ Association (UCEA). The next meeting of the Joint National Committee for Higher Education Staff (JNCHES) is Monday 29 March.
In brief the claim calls for:
- a catch-up for the real terms cut last year; a keep-up element for next; a minimum rate; and a need to recognise the low paid
- demand for a national negotiations over a national approach to job security
- an update the national agreement
- work to address inequality, particularly HPLs and gender pay gap
- talks on pay for external examiners
- an increase in London Weighting and talks on other high cost areas.
Read more detail here.
In 2010-11 only 25 (19% of) higher education institutions in England will receive a real terms funding rise (above the forecast level of inflation).
More than a quarter (37 institutions) will have a real terms cut (a cash increase below the level of inflation) and over half (69 institutions) face a cash cut.
The worst affected institutions will get cash cuts of up to 12%, according to funding arrangements set out today by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
Recurrent grants for 2010-11, Hefce
Reactions:
UNISON calls for fair deal for HE staff as annual funding is announced
University funding cuts will lead to disappointment for students and drop in quality, warns UCU
Press:
Universities facing ‘first budget cuts in years, BBC
University budgets to be slashed by up to 14%, Guardian
Teaching and research escape 9% grant cut, Times Higher Education
100 universities suffer as Government announces £450 million of cuts, Times
In the latest ‘grant letter’ from business secretary, Lord Mandelson, to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) chairman, Tim Melville-Ross, the government said it was reducing HEFCE’s grant by 6.6%, including additional cuts of £135m to ones previously announced. For the first time in a decade the unit of public spending per student is being cut in real terms.
See more on the HEFCE website.
We want to hold our universities to account and we need as much local information as possible.
Please contact your branch officers if you hear about any job cuts or any expenditure projects you think are wasting university funds which could be better spent on protecting jobs and wages.
the campaign poster
The first set of posters, leaflets and an off-line copy of the petition are now available for download below.
Please support the campaign by distributing these on your campus.
Campaign leaflet (.pdf)
Campaign poster – A4 (.pdf)
Campaign poster – A3 (.pdf)
The petition (.pdf)
Also here for download is a leaflet/letter template local branches can use to publicise local meetings:
Local meeting template (.doc)
- a wave of job cuts is already sweeping through our universities
- 99 universities have said they intend to cut jobs
- employers are offering a pay increase of just 0.5% – undermining recent progress on pay.
At a time of economic recession, education is more important than ever
- reject the short-termist slash and burn strategy
- support the campaign for a national agreement to protect jobs
- demand fair treatment and fair pay for all university staff.
