National Pay Negotiations – 30 September 2011.

The final offer on the pay award for the current year (2011/12) made by the employers’ organisation (UCEA) is an increase of £150 on all points on the common pay spine.

In making this offer, the UCEA has highlighted the exceptionally difficult funding settlements for 2011-12 and the considerable uncertainty facing the higher education sector at the present time. The context includes the pay freeze for the majority of public sector employees, further financial challenges and uncertainties arising from changes to funding and the recent White Paper and austerity measures in the devolved administrations.

The responses of the main HE trade unions are set out below.

The UCU undertook a consultative ballot of its membership.  The results of the consultative ballot, available on the UCU website are:

  • "I wish to accept the offer" 12,388 votes (57.3%)
  • "I wish to reject the offer and for UCU to ballot members for industrial action" 9,214 votes (42.7%)

The UCU has not made any formal comment on this result nor has it made known its formal response to the employers’ offer.

Unite has advised that its members have voted to reject the pay offer and that it wishes to invoke the national disputes procedure.

Unison has already notified UCEA that it is in dispute in respect of the pay offer.  One meeting between Unison and UCEA has already taken place under the dispute resolution procedure; a second meeting has been scheduled for 4 October to be attended by all three trade unions and UCEA.