New JNCHES Trade Union side Press Release

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Download the joint unions 2010 pay claim

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

UNITE PRESS RELEASE: Vice Chancellors Failing Universities

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Vice Chancellors Failing Universities

Unite, Britain’s biggest Union, has today accused university Vice Chancellors of failing to properly deal with job security and cuts in Higher Education.

Higher education employers are refusing to sign up to a national process for dealing with job security as a result of the funding changes in the sector. Instead each university is making separate plans rather that taking a collective approach to university funding.

Already this year job cuts are planned at Kings College London, and at universities in  Leeds, Liverpool, Sheffield, Sussex, Aberystwyth, Manchester Metropolitan, Warwick, Stirling, and Strathclyde.

Despite the rise in student numbers and student enrolment applications, the sector looks likely to shrink staff numbers so affecting student quality of learning and driving down standards. Those staff who remain will see increased workloads and stress is already a significant factor.

Mike Robinson, national officer for Higher Education said;

“Higher education is a single public service, but institutional elitism is leading to chaos as universities make cuts without considering the overall effect to higher education in the UK. Vice Chancellors have spent too long in their ivory towers and now they are failing to take the necessary collective approach with their workers in dealing with job security and any planned shrinkage in the sector.”

“Students and the staff at higher education establishments across the country deserve national negotiations between unions and employers that would treat higher education as a single public service rather than the separate fiefdoms of the Vice Chancellors.”

” Universities have had the increase in student numbers and in some areas on fees, but are failing to work in a constructive way find a common solution on job security.”