Our annual round of pay negotiations is now underway, the full details are publicly available from the UCEA website. We will continue to update you at each stage of the negotiations and once the outcome is clear.
UCEA, who carries out collective bargaining’ for the annual pay award on the behalf of HEIs has made a final offer in the current pay round which is a 1.5% increase, with higher percentage uplifts, graded from 1.54% to 3.6%, for spine point 21 down to point 3. The offer equates to an increase of 1.59% on the sector pay bill and ensures an uplift on all Spine Points above the current rate of inflation as measured by the Consumer Price Index including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH, 1% , March 2021).
This will now be considered by the unions at their respective committees and conferences.
The key points of the offer are:
UCEA met trade unions yesterday for the second New JNCHES negotiating meeting for 2021-22 and has made an opening offer equivalent to an additional £111.8m on the national pay bill.
This could support a 1.1% uplift for staff, but given the unions’ claim this year for a flat rate increase, UCEA have provided them with an indicative options appraisal so that they might consider how an award might be structured, before UCEA makes a further offer.
The actual uplift and how it relates to individual pay points will not be known until the structure of the final award is agreed.
The first stage, at the end of March, saw employers and five Higher Education Unions (EIS, GMB, UCU, Unison and Unite) make their initial positions clear and begin discussions.
Headlines from the trade unions' claim include:
An opening pay offer was put forward by the employers in response at the end of the meeting and discussions will continue at the second meeting planned for the 14 April. A final meeting is scheduled for 6 May 2021.