Ratfified Local Implementation Agreements

Agreements have now been ratified in the following institutions:

• University of Huddersfield - July 2005

• University of Gloucestershire - July 2005

• University of Winchester - August 2005.

If you would like a copy of any of these agreements please email [email protected] with your membership number.

More documents will be added to this list once agreements have been ratified.

MAIN FEATURES OF THE IMPLEMENTATION AGREEMENTS

University of Huddersfield

The Board of Governors at Huddersfield endorsed the agreement on 23 July 2005.The agreement is based on the use of the HAY job evaluation scheme. The union has been closely involved with the preparatory work which was focussed on a benchmarking exercise which captured data relating to most generic roles.

During the benchmarking process at least 15 academic posts were identified as ‘green circled’ whilst less than five posts are currently at risk of ‘red circling’. The national library of role profiles were used as a reference point for grading using a beneficial variant of Appendix C of the framework agreement. Staff will be slotted into the new structure in September 2005 and assimilated to the next highest pay point. Academic staff will then be encouraged by NATFHE to consider submitting an appeal against their grading if they can demonstrate that they have an arguable case.

Progression from lecturer to senior lecturer will take place at the top of the lecturer grade or when ever the lecturer undertakes the duties set out in the Ac3 role profile. The institution appoints the vast majority of academic staff to the senior lecturer grade and will continue to do so.

The agreement does not contain any contribution pay. As an alternative to contribution pay NATFHE has agreed to accept a beneficial variant of Appendix C. Each of the grades in the new pay structure has been increased by one pay point, thus providing a further automatic increase once staff reach the top of the grade.

Existing senior and principal lecturers at the top of their pay scale will receive this incremental rise in September 2005. The starting salary for any staff appointed in the lecturer grade rises from £24,866 (using 2004 salary scales) as in Appendix C to £ 25,633, whilst the maximum salary for senior lecturers increases to £37,643.

Senior academic staff paid up to £60,201 are included in the new arrangements on an extended single pay spine enabling principal lecturers to make comparisons between their own role and the roles of staff in grade Ac5.

Hourly paid lecturers will assimilate to pay point 31 on the new pay spine with a pro-rata salary of £ 25,633 providing a comprehensive hourly rate of £33.31 and an assimilation benefit of 5.7% after transfer to the new pay spine. Hourly paid lecturers then receive annual increments up to the maximum pay point in the Ac2 grade. Thereafter once an hourly paid lecturer undertakes the role of a senior lecturer they would progress to the Ac3 grade “normally” through conversion to a fractional pro-rata contract of employment.

Incremental progression for all staff is automatic provided the individual has not been subjected to a disciplinary or capability sanction on the preceding year. Academic staff have been matched to a generic job description but can query their grading through several stages of appeals. There will be no further red circling following the benchmarking exercise and the small number of post holders affected will receive pay protection including annual pay awards for a period of four years.

The agreement complies with NATFHE policy on implementation of the framework at local level, a great deal of work has been undertaken by our branch officers in partnership with the employer. The branch has secured an additional increment for all staff as an alternative to contribution pay, if other branches are experiencing difficulty in reaching agreement on the issue of contribution pay this approach should be considered and suggested to the employer. Staff will assimilate to new structures in September 2005 and those at the top of their pay scale will receive an additional increment on assimilation. For further information on any aspect of the agreement please contact: [email protected]

University of Gloucestershire

In implementing the Framework Agreement at Gloucestershire unions and management agreed to extend the single pay spine to 75 points with a maximum salary of £94,110. This allows for six additional senior academic and managerial grades to be included within local collective bargaining and equal pay arrangements and mirrors existing arrangements within the institution. The pay system genuinely covers staff from ‘porter to professor’ with all staff (including senior academics) having the right to progress automatically to the maximum incremental point within their grade.

The Appendix C grading structure has been applied without variation. The library of academic role profiles has been used in conjunction with the HERA job evaluation scheme to benchmark academic roles. Contribution pay will be allocated in accordance with the JNCHES guidance.

Hourly paid lecturers will assimilate to pay point 30 with an hourly rate of approximately £39 due to the use of to the use of pay point 12 on the existing LCIG lecturers scale as the reference point for hourly rates and the inclusion of holiday pay. This differs from the JNCHES guidance and provides a higher rate for hourly paid staff. Discussions are continuing to determine the implementation date and to clarify the issue of backdating. For further information on this agreement please contact: [email protected].

University of Winchester

This agreement used Appendix C without variation. As a small SCOP institution Winchester used the job evaluation scores of the library of academic role profiles to benchmark against academic roles using the HERA scheme. Staff will assimilate to the new pay structure in September 2005 with assimilation benefits being backdated to 1 August 2004.

The NATFHE branch at Winchester has been in dispute with the employer for nearly two years over the disruption to normal progression from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer. The new implementation agreement restores the right to progress from Lecturer to the new Ac3 Senior Lecturer grade on an automatic basis with the expectation that staff will be expected to fulfil the grading criteria at Ac3 level. Hourly paid lecturers assimilate to pay point 30 within grade Ac2 and can chose to develop their role to facilitate progression to Ac3 through undertaking work associated with grading at that level.