Ballot papers will today (Monday 23) land on the doormats of 19,000 lecturers in new universities and higher education colleges in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, with a message urging lecturers to vote for industrial action. Lecturers at local new universities will be amongst those receiving ballot papers.
The ballot, organised by lecturers’ union NATFHE, is in support of a pay claim to reverse a twenty year decline in academic pay. NATFHE says universities can definitely now afford lecturer pay to catch up with other professionals as £2.3 billion of extra funding enters universities this year from top-up fees and other new funding. Unions want at least a third of the new funds to be spent on pay.
On Friday it was confirmed, by former education minister Alan Johnson, that university vice-chancellors had indeed promised ministers that a third of top up fees would be used to improve academic pay.
The ballot result is due on 17 February. Action by lecturers may include strike action and an assessment boycott which would delay exam results. This could begin as early as 1st March.
NATFHE negotiators, together with those from the other academic unions AUT and EIS, met with the employers' association UCEA on Tuesday 11 January to discuss the academic unions’ pay claim for 2006/7. An initial claim was submitted as long ago as October 2005 and a detailed, costed version was supplied prior to the negotiations - but the employers failed to make any pay offer.
Despite mischievous employer claims of some differences between academic and non-academic unions, all higher education unions have signed a joint statement supporting the principle of ‘using the equivalent of at least one third of the money available from fees and other sources into funding a national pay increase’ for all university staff.
NATFHE general secretary Paul Mackney said: ‘The claim is costed and affordable and we seek the use of at least a third of new income including top-up fees but not as employers have claimed half of all the new income streams into the sector. It has been confirmed that Universities UK, which represents vice-chancellors, told ministers that at least a third of fees would be used for better pay. They must keep that promise.
Employers are also ignoring new teaching and research funding from their calculations and their cry of ‘can’t afford it’ rings hollow. We have made it clear that when a long overdue offer arrives, we will discuss it, but time is running out.’
Notes for Editors
1 Ballot details
20 January NATFHE ballot paper sent out
16 February ballot closes
17 February result announced
1 March industrial action may begin.
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