NATFHE negotiators, together with those from AUT and EIS, met with the employers' association UCEA on Tuesday 11 January to discuss the academic unions’ pay claim for 2006/7. Despite receiving a detailed and costed claim with further augmentation being supplied prior to the negotiations, the employers failed to make any pay offer at all.
UCEA offered to consult institutions on what type of pay offer could be made and report back in February for further pay negotiations. However they would only do so if the unions suspended their plans to consult members through industrial action ballots.
As UCEA failed to make any pay offer at all, the unions were not able to agree to suspend their ballots. The academic unions hope that UCEA will continue to negotiate and have made clear their willingness to attend further negotiations once UCEA are willing to make a pay offer. UCEA are currently considering their next step.
If academic pay is to be improved it is vital that every member takes the opportunity to vote in the pay ballot to ensure a clear message is sent to the employers on the need to improve pay. Unions are hopeful that a high turnout, showing the reality and scale of support, will convince employers to talk.
NATFHE, AUT and EIS will now be consulting their members through a national pay ballot asking their members in all UK institutions to support a program of industrial action including strike action and action short of a strike.
Ballot forms will be sent out to NATFHE members in HE from 20 January and the ballot will close on 16 February with results announced on 17 February.
The academic unions' joint pay claim [link to claim] is based on the longstanding decline of academic pay levels and the demand that part of the massive new, extra funding available to universities from 2006 should be used to raise the level of professional reward to that recognised in the Bett report.
An extra £2.3 billion is available to employers between 2006-2009 Unions are demanding that up to a third of the new income is used on pay, as promised by VCs and reported by HE minister Alan Johnson during the parliamentary votes on top-up fees.
Jill Jones, chair of NATFHE’s higher education committee, will write to all NATFHE HE members urging support for options including coordinated strike action and a range of non-strike sanctions:
- A boycott of some or all parts of the student assessment process, including marking
- A boycott of all QAA and quality assurance procedures
- A boycott of student feedback procedures
- Working strictly to contract
Unions say it is likely that initial strike action will be reinforced with a highly effective campaign of disruption.
The NATFHE AUT and EIS joint pay submission set out the case for increasing basic pay by at least 23% over the next three years, rising to 30% through increases to the national pay spine and improvements to the national grading structure (appendix C). The claim includes detailed argument for a 23% pay rise over 3 years rising to 30% through improvements to the national grading structure (appendix C) which would benefit all academics at the top point of their grade. The claim also includes a flat-rate element to assist the lowest paid employees in the sector.
NUS has expressed support for the unions’ pay campaign, signing a joint statement. (link to joint NUS, NATFHE, AUT statement)
The non academic unions (AMICUS, GMB, T&G and UNISON) unions agree with the academic unions that an adequate proportion of new income coming into the HE sector should be used to fund pay increases for existing staff, that those increases should address the issue of low pay and that increases must be delivered through national not local bargaining.
A joint statement (LINK) has been agreed by all the HE unions in relation to using the new income to improve pay levels. NATFHE hopes that the non academic unions will be able to join the pay campaign once they have consulted their respective members later this year.
The academic unions are stressing the unique opportunity which the new HE funding provides and the unprecedented unity and coordination of all unions which makes 2006 the year to mount a campaign for major pay improvement.
NATFHE general secretary Paul Mackney said:
‘Many members often ask me when the union is finally going to do something to improve salary levels for academic staff. Clearly this is the year, when significant new funding is available, for all of us to take action to improve the pay of our members. Be sure to vote in the ballot - and prepare for action.’
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