2009 pay negotiations update

17 Aug 2009

Unions consulting with members on next step

The negotiating team for the University employers organisation (UCEA) met with the HE Unions (EIS, GMB, UCU, UNISON and UNITE) last month (15 July 2009) at the fourth formal meeting of this year’s pay negotiations.

The UCEA team tabled the employers’ proposals on the wide range of issues raised by the trade unions and put forward their final pay offer of a 0.5% uplift to all points on the national pay spine, effective from 1 August 2009.

The University employers consider this final offer to be realistic, responsible and credible when set against stringent limits of affordability in the sector. Financial pressures include the cost of the current three year pay deal, and increases in the employers’ pension contributions.

In addition, UCEA, on behalf of the employers, has also offered to work with the trade unions on a range of issues, including equal pay and opportunities, pay modernisation, sector pay data and HE funding and sustainability issues.

UNITE have recently rejected this offer. The other unions are currently consulting with their representatives and members on the next steps. Each union has its own consultation process and timetable and the outcome of these consultations is not expected to be known until late September at the earliest.