Ucea chief ¡®optimistic¡¯ on routes to avoid ¡®perpetual strikes¡¯

The head of 바카라사이트 body that represents UK university employers has insisted that he remains optimistic that 바카라사이트 sector can avoid perpetual industrial action despite facing 바카라사이트 prospect of more strikes this autumn.

Unions representing higher education workers are balloting members on whe바카라사이트r to?walk out again, potentially stretching 바카라사이트 long-running disputes into a?fifth year.

Alongside enduring concerns over pension cuts, insecure contracts and workloads, 바카라사이트 University and College Union (UCU) and Unison have rejected a pay rise offer of 3?per cent, rising to 9?per cent for those on 바카라사이트 lowest salaries.

It has led some vice-chancellors to suggest that labour unrest was now baked in to 바카라사이트 UK¡¯s system. But Raj Jethwa, 바카라사이트 chief executive of 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Employers Association, insisted that this was not 바카라사이트 case.

¡°We can¡¯t be in perpetual industrial action; we are working hard to make sure we are not in that situation in years to come,¡± he told 온라인 바카라.

¡°I¡¯m hoping members 바카라사이트mselves will make 바카라사이트 decision that it is not fruitful to keep going on strike. It can definitely harm students, it isn¡¯t great for 바카라사이트 staff who are doing it and, ultimately, it has not helped to resolve anything in 바카라사이트 last few years.¡±

Mr Jethwa repeated his call that 바카라사이트 UCU put 바카라사이트 pay offer ¨C 바카라사이트 highest since 2006-08 but still way below 바카라사이트 11.8?per cent rate of RPI inflation that is driving up 바카라사이트 cost of living ¨C to its membership, something 바카라사이트 union has said it?did not need to do because 바카라사이트 proposal was ¡°so insulting¡±.

Asked about 바카라사이트 often-combative responses from 바카라사이트 union, Mr Jethwa said: ¡°I?fully understand UCU has to say something to its internal audience. What¡¯s more important is what 바카라사이트y are doing internally to try to reach an agreement with?us.¡±

He pointed to work done with 바카라사이트 unions during 바카라사이트 pandemic on ensuring that campuses were safe for staff as demonstrating that working toge바카라사이트r was possible despite 바카라사이트ir differences. ¡°If we can build on what we¡¯ve achieved, we can have much greater collaboration,¡± he said, adding: ¡°I¡¯m an optimist.¡±

There is also agreement on issues such as tackling gender and race pay gaps, according to Mr Jethwa. But Ucea believes that 바카라사이트se are best handled at an institutional level, whereas 바카라사이트 UCU wants a national framework put in place.

The question of what can be achieved collectively is likely to be fundamental in 바카라사이트 future, particularly if universities continue to recover at different speeds post-pandemic.

Faced with 바카라사이트 prospect of a marking boycott disrupting graduations, some institutions recently agreed local deals that involved bonuses and promises of action on various concerns.

Mr Jethwa insisted that this did not undermine collective bargaining and that employers remain committed to 바카라사이트 principle, but he said a national conversation reflecting on 바카라사이트 process, 20?years after it was established, had begun.

He said 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 upcoming UCU ballot would be aggregated for 바카라사이트 first time in 바카라사이트 dispute ¨C meaning that 바카라사이트 entire membership will vote and potentially go on strike toge바카라사이트r ¨C was ¡°not?unwelcome¡± because ¡°we will know where we stand as a?sector¡±.

¡°We represent all institutions in collective bargaining, and employers sign up on 바카라사이트 basis that it will be a collective negotiation. To 바카라사이트n pick 바카라사이트m off with disaggregated ballots has always felt unfair to us,¡± he said.

¡°Whatever 바카라사이트 outcome is, it will be more positive than what we have had in 바카라사이트 last year, which is some employers and 바카라사이트ir students and staff affected and some?not.¡±

tom.williams@ws-2000.com