The past few years have been turbulent for everyone working in higher education due to the precariousness and uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.
The past couple of years has seen an unprecedented attack on higher education pay – with the national higher education employers not making a pay offer to their staff for the year 2020/21.
The pay offer for 2021/22 was 1.5% for the majority of staff. This offer neither met our pay claim nor gave any element of catch up. Additionally, the government’s announced increase of 1.25% on national insurance payments, means that almost all of the pay offer has been taken up by this extra taxation. The increases in utility bills, particularly gas and electricity, and the increase in food prices means that inflation is predicted to soon exceed 4%.
Over the past thirteen years, higher education pay has fallen in real terms. Staff are working harder than ever, and the cost of living has risen, but pay hasn’t kept up. Employers must urgently address pay injustice. Universities continue, on average, to pay their female staff less than their male counterparts despite equal pay legislation being in place for over 50 years, and reports show that Black staff earn less than their white counterparts.
In some universities staff work a 35-hour week and in others a 37-hour week – working 6% extra for no more money – another example of pay inequality within the Higher Education (HE) sector. A 35-hour working week should be the standard across the sector.
Low pay continues to be a problem in higher education – the lowest pay point, for staff working on a 36 or 37-hour contract, is below the foundation living wage rate of £9.50 per hour (outside London). University employers should ensure that everyone on campus earns a decent wage whether they work for a contractor or directly for the university.
University workers have done their utmost to keep universities running throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to do so. They have adapted to working from home, or they continued coming into campus to support students and colleagues – putting others first. All staff deserve and need a real, meaningful pay rise in 2022/23 to make up for the years of below-inflation pay rises and to keep up with the cost of living.
Now is finally the time for universities to make good – for them to give university employees a decent pay rise. The 2022/23 pay rise must address the lost earnings in the sector as well as ensure that pay keeps up with the cost of living.
Conference calls on the Higher Education Service Group Executive to pursue joint union negotiations and to produce a joint claim that seeks to incorporate the following points:
1) Negotiate a consolidated pay award of a flat rate of £1,900 or 5% whichever is greater with a minimum of an above inflationary pay rise.
2) Establish a minimum bottom spine point of £12 per hour for a 37 hour week, and negotiate so that all universities are accredited Living Wage Foundation employers ensuring that all staff on campus receive at least the Living Wage rates.
3) Negotiate a similar consolidated increase on London Weighting and all other allowances negotiated nationally. Work with branches to seek to negotiate a similar rise in all appropriate local allowances.
4) Negotiate a national agreement with the HE employers to oversee the introduction of a maximum 35-hour working week in all universities.
5) Establish a Scottish sub-committee of the New Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (JNCHES) as set out under the New JNCHES Agreement. The main purpose of the sub-committee would be to deal with matters not currently being dealt with at the New JNCHES Committee.
6) Negotiate on joint employer and union action to eliminate the gender and ethnic pay gap, work with regions, branches and sister trade unions to achieve these ends. To take an intersectional approach to achieve pay equality for all staff. Seek to work with employers, aiming for transparency and full sharing of data at both a national and local level.
7) Build a campaign for all universities to become accredited Foundation Living Wage employers reminding them of the moral and business case of why they should apply for Living Wage accreditation and demand that they do so.
8) Negotiate for a national agreement to reduce precarious employment in Higher Education seeking, as far as possible, for staff to be employed on permanent contracts. Negotiate for a national agreement to bring outsourced workers in higher education back into direct university employment.
9) In the event that the joint pay claim is not met by the employers, seek to escalate the pay campaign, with a clear plan, in conjunction with fellow Higher Education trade unions. This may include lawful industrial action to strengthen the campaign in accordance with UNISON rules relating to industrial action.
10) if the joint pay claim is not met in full by the employers for 2022/23, The HESGE is to explore the option of a multi-year pay deal for 23/24 with branches within the service group.
Motion by the UNISON Higher Education Service Group Executive as amended by UNISON Liverpool John Moores University.
Passed at the UNISON Higher Education Conference 2022 - 79 - For, 4 - Against.
