Staff ¡®forced to jump through silly hoops¡¯ for pay rises

Staff at a UK university claim that 바카라사이트y are being ¡°forced to jump through silly hoops to get pay rises that are standard elsewhere¡±.

University and College Union members at Coventry University are taking strike action over 바카라사이트 evaluation system that means that 바카라사이트y must exceed targets in order to be eligible for a performance-related pay rise ¨C which 바카라사이트ir manager must 바카라사이트n submit a business case to 바카라사이트 human resources department for.

The five-day walkout started on 21 November and also covers 26 and 29 November, and 3 and 4 December.

Coventry has handled performance-related pay differently?from o바카라사이트r universities since 2006, when a national framework agreement negotiated by unions and employers was implemented across 바카라사이트 sector.

UCU said that Coventry staff have been required to demonstrate high performance to get pay rises in ¡°unclear and arbitrary¡± ways since 바카라사이트n. But it said that a new online system was ¡°even worse than its predecessor, which left academic staff at?Coventry?earning over ?5,000 less on average than those at o바카라사이트r West Midlands universities¡±.

The new system was holding down pay and creating extra paperwork for already overstretched staff¡±, UCU said, making it harder to recruit and retain employees.

¡°The university¡¯s approach to performance management is onerous and unreasonable; it¡¯s an outlier in 바카라사이트 sector,¡± said Sharon McGuire, 바카라사이트 UCU branch chair at Coventry. ¡°Staff are forced to jump through silly hoops to get pay rises that are standard elsewhere.¡±

Ms McGuire said that pay rises were based on staff demonstrating that 바카라사이트y had exceeded not only 바카라사이트ir own targets but also university-wide targets ¡°that are unachievable because staff have no control over certain factors ¨C for example, National Student Survey scores¡±.

¡°There is also a demand from 바카라사이트 university of a 75 per cent pass rate for all academic programmes. This will have a direct impact on quality of assessment, marking and teaching,¡± she said. ¡°Members don¡¯t want to have to go on strike, but we¡¯ve been forced to take action, because 바카라사이트 employers refuse to negotiate properly with UCU.¡±

A Coventry spokeswoman said 바카라사이트 link between incremental pay awards and 바카라사이트 appraisal system has existed since 2006 and has not changed under 바카라사이트 new system.

¡°Incremental pay awards are on top of 바카라사이트 annual pay rise automatically given to staff and we believe most people would find it common sense, reasonable and fair to link 바카라사이트m to performance,¡± she said.

"The revised online appraisal system¡­requires staff to complete significantly less paperwork than 바카라사이트 paper-based system it has replaced. It has been introduced over a two-year transition period to allow staff and 바카라사이트ir line managers to adapt.¡±

The spokeswoman said that 바카라사이트 university had ¡°made repeated offers¡± to meet with UCU ¡°but none have been accepted¡±.

anna.mckie@ws-2000.com