Delays to university pay talks are ‘unacceptable’ say unions
The UCEA’s decision not to present a pay offer ‘sends a message that employers don’t understand the urgency of the issue’
Joint education unions, including UNISON, have voiced their ‘outrage’ at the university employers’ decision not to present a pay offer for members in the first meeting of the 2022/23 pay round, last week.
The five unions, who are part of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (JNCHES), released a statement yesterday, condemning the decision by the Universities and Colleges Employer’s Association (UCEA) that they were “not yet in a position” to present a pay offer.
The UCEA was presented with the unions’ fully evidenced pay claim at the end of February and had over a month to consider it and prepare an offer.
Without one, higher education members are being left in limbo at a critical moment for the sector, with workers facing a massive cost-of-living crisis after years of below-inflation pay increases.
Furthermore, the decision to delay the pay process comes in the middle of an ongoing dispute about the 2021/22 pay round which has resulted in industrial action mandates for nine UNISON branches, seven of whom have taken strike action in the last fortnight alone.
In the statement, the unions said: “These are unprecedented times, and we can’t underestimate the impact on our members. We would expect UCEA representatives to act with urgency in putting an offer on the table.”
The employers have now committed to providing an offer in writing before the next meeting of the JNHCES on 25 April.
On 30 March, representatives of the five trade unions of the New Joint Negotiating Committee for the Higher Education Sector (JNCHES) met with representatives of the Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association (UCEA) in the first meeting of the 2022-23 bargaining round. This occurs in the middle of an ongoing dispute and industrial action over the 2021-22 round, and a live ballot from three of the five trade unions.
These negotiations take place at a critical moment for our sector, in which our members face spiraling inflation and unhealthy working conditions.
Having had these headline demands for over one month, and having consulted their member institutions, UCEA representatives were well placed to table an opening offer to address both the serious cost of living crisis facing our members and the deep-seated discontent in the higher education sector. These are unprecedented times and we can’t underestimate the impact on our members we would expect UCEA representatives to act with urgency in putting an offer on the table.
Instead, early in the negotiations, UCEA informed us that they were ‘not yet in a position to present their offer to our members. Delaying serious negotiations is unacceptable given UCEA’s responsibility to staff, students, and to the employers who are their members. The joint trade unions are committed to the process of collective bargaining, and the clear benefits that sector-wide standards for pay and working conditions offer higher education in the United Kingdom.
Following just under five hours of discussions, ending with a powerful presentation on the insulting and derisory nature of a decision to frustrate negotiations, the trade unions were forced to conclude that UCEA had no intention of negotiating seriously.
Given the immense pressure that is facing HE institutions and staff from continued industrial action, and the prospect of more joint action in the near future, we must question UCEA’s judgment in delaying meaningful negotiations, and whether they did in fact have a mandate to delay from their constituent member institutions.
Our members have stood by universities over the last 2 years when they were told there was financial uncertainty due to Brexit and COVID which did not materialize. They have been on and off furlough, changed roles, adapted to working on and off-campus, and taken on additional responsibilities. Our members will rightly feel that the last 2 years have disproportionately impacted some of the lowest-paid workers and equality groups in our sector.
We are aware that members will share our outrage at the behavior of our employers’ negotiators, and call on employers who share this displeasure and who wish for an end to the unhealthy industrial relations in this sector, to ask whether their representative’s acting in this way is in the best interests of employers, staff, and students. Trade union representatives view the conditions facing our members and the sector with the utmost seriousness and will continue to seek a resolution that will lead to a healthy and flourishing sector focusing on a shared commitment to education and discovery of knowledge.
A joint statement agreed by all five HE trade unions, March 2022.*****
Ruth Smith, UNISON senior national officer for education, said: “It’s a great disappointment that the UCEA negotiators have decided not to present an offer, especially at a time like this, and it sends a message that the employers do not understand the urgency of the issue.
“Last year, most members only received a 1.5% increase, and the year before there was a pay freeze. Now, with spiraling inflation and members facing massive increases to their gas, energy, and food bills, the last thing they need is more uncertainty.
“The employers must understand the genuine hardship that many of our members working in higher education are currently suffering.
“Members were hoping for some good news from this new round of talks, but they will be bitterly disappointed that the employers had nothing to say on pay, at this critical time.”
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