20 February 2006

NATFHE and AUT members hand in hand can crack the HE pay gap, says sector conference

The following resolution was passed by Special HE Sector Conference on Saturday 18 February:
 
This HESC welcomes the AUT and NATFHE ballot results in relation to the 2006 pay claim. HESC believes that addressing the longstanding pay gap which has developed in Higher Education can be achieved through:

• Maximum collaboration between AUT and NATFHE – and where possible EIS and the PTAAS unions – at local, regional and national levels
• Maximum involvement of branches and local membership in winning the dispute with an industrial action strategy that allows for limited local flexibility in the specific action-short-of-strike tactics adopted; and industrial action co-ordinated by regional joint-union action committees within limits set by a national joint-union action committee
• Shared decision making between AUT and NATFHE on tactics and strategy throughout the dispute
• Increasing emphasis on those elements of the claim calling for a specified  annual percentage increase on the spine for each of the next three years, and adding increments to the Ac3 and Ac4 scales, in order to provide a single unifying and national focus to the campaign
• A joint veto on any local pay agreements during or at the conclusion of the dispute
• Only putting to members’ ballot offers which:
  (a) contain a significant ‘catch-up’ element on top of average public-sector settlements;
  (b) are independent of any wage cost effects of regrading;
  (c) preserve a national scale observed by all institutions.
• A joint meeting of the HEC and the AUT executive to consider any final recommendation leading to a resolution of the dispute

This Conference instructs our negotiators and HEC to not call off or suspend industrial action for any reason whatsoever unless and until an acceptable offer which comes very close to our claim is offered by the employers.

We call on all branches, regions and the national union to make the maximum effort to secure a fair settlement based on the expansion of the claim submitted to UCEA on 10 January 2006.

See press release

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