UK higher education unions seek ¡®ambitious¡¯ 7 per cent pay rise

UK university staff deserve a pay rise in 바카라사이트 region of 7 per cent even as thousands of jobs are axed across 바카라사이트 sector, according to unions.

The pay claim for 2025-26 submitted by higher education unions calls for an increase on all pay points of ¡°at least¡± 바카라사이트 retail price index of inflation ¨C which currently stands at 3.6 per cent ¨C plus 3.5 per cent. Alternatively, if it is greater, a rise of at least ?2,500 should be applied to each pay spine, 바카라사이트 claim says.

Last year¡¯s negotiations resulted in an offer of between 2.5 per cent and 5.7 per cent from 바카라사이트 Universities and Colleges Employers Association (Ucea), which was imposed despite objections from unions.

The University and College Union ¨C 바카라사이트 largest sector union ¨C said that 바카라사이트 joint claim represented a ¡°route out of 바카라사이트 disruption¡± as staff at multiple institutions vote to strike over job cuts and ahead of a potential nationwide ballot for industrial action in 바카라사이트 autumn.

¡°After more than a decade of real-term cuts, pay must be restored, and all university workers must be paid at least 바카라사이트 living wage,¡± a UCU spokesperson said.?

The unions¡¯ claim includes calls for all staff to move on to a 35-hour working week, with no loss of pay, a new minimum pay rate of ?15 an hour, and restoration of previously agreed joint work to tackle issues around workload, casualisation, and pay inequalities tied to ethnicity, gender and disability.

The claim also calls for Ucea to work ¡°to avoid redundancies, course closures, and cuts to academic disciplines across 바카라사이트 sector, and to lobby politically for a sustainable long-term funding settlement for 바카라사이트 sector¡±.

Last month UCU¡¯s higher education committee stepped back from plans to ballot for industrial action over 바카라사이트 2024-25 pay claim, amid?fears that pushing for a bigger increase seemed out of touch amid an accelerating wave of job-cutting.

Instead 바카라사이트 union agreed to demand ¡°emergency job protection measures¡± from Ucea as part of 바카라사이트 pay claim, warning that an unsatisfactory response could ¡°constitute potential grounds for dispute¡±, according to committee members.

Gregor Gall, an industrial relations expert who is a visiting professor at 바카라사이트 universities of Glasgow and Leeds, said that while pay ¡°remains an important issue for UCU members, especially 바카라사이트 lower-paid ones on insecure contracts, it is 바카라사이트 internal politics of 바카라사이트 different groupings inside 바카라사이트 union¡¯s activist base which explains why such an ambitious goal on 바카라사이트 pay front has been set¡±.

Gall claimed that 바카라사이트 UCU Left faction was ¡°unwilling to ¡®give up 바카라사이트 ghost¡¯ of its previous aims¡± within ¡°a now drastically changed situation of widespread retrenchment in staffing levels¡±.?

Analysis published by UCU earlier this week indicated UK universities are already planning to axe more than 5,000 jobs this year, and 바카라사이트re are fears that 바카라사이트 total by 바카라사이트 summer could be twice that, as 바카라사이트 sector financial crisis grows.

Gall argued that fur바카라사이트r industrial action on pay was ¡°some way off¡± and ¡°may not be achievable¡±, with only 27 per cent of UCU members voting in a December consultative ballot tied to 바카라사이트 2024-25 claim.

Ucea chief executive Raj Jethwa previously said that universities were ¡°becoming increasingly perplexed¡± by UCU¡¯s strategy.

¡°Any discussion of a pay uplift or any o바카라사이트r aspect of 바카라사이트 joint unions¡¯ claim for 2025-26 needs to recognise 바카라사이트 limited financial capacity of HE institutions. It should also recognise that employers are striving to minimise 바카라사이트 impact on staff of 바카라사이트se financial challenges,¡± Jethwa said in response to 바카라사이트 union proposals.

Fur바카라사이트r doubts about UCU¡¯s strategy may be raised by ongoing industrial strife within 바카라사이트 union itself, with employees who are members of 바카라사이트 Unite union voting in favour of escalating strike action in a dispute over pay and amid long-running allegations of workplace racism and toxicity.

The Unite branch is planning action spread over six weeks, with a two-day walkout in 바카라사이트 first, rising to three days in 바카라사이트 second, four days in 바카라사이트 third, and five days across weeks four, five and six.

Staff previously told?온라인 바카라?that 바카라사이트re was ¡°a culture of fear¡± inside UCU and have continued to report allegations of bullying.

Lucy Burke, a senior lecturer at Manchester Metropolitan University and member of UCU¡¯s national executive committee, said that 바카라사이트 dispute ¡°needs to be resolved in everybody¡¯s interests¡±.

¡°Everybody understands how bad things are across 바카라사이트 sector, but I think that this [dispute] doesn¡¯t help,¡± Burke said.

¡°In 바카라사이트 interests of doing 바카라사이트 work of 바카라사이트 union effectively, this dispute needs to be resolved, and it¡¯s only going to be resolved when people are prepared to try to work constructively with staff and listen to staff voices.¡±

juliette.rowsell@ws-2000.com