UCUHE/264   11 February 2016   
University and College Union
Carlow Street, London NW1 7LH, Tel. 020 7756 2500, www.ucu.org.uk
To	HE Branch and local association secretaries
Topic	HE Pay 2016/2017
Action	To note the submission of the claim, to encourage participation in one of the four branch briefings, to organise branch meetings to discuss the proposed timetable for action and to consider and respond to the questions
Summary 	This circular updates branches on the submission of the pay claim, the member and branch consultation process, the proposed action timetable and seeks responses to a number of key questions.		
Contact	Paul Bridge, Head of Higher Education pbridge@ucu.org.uk

Colleagues

Please find attached at appendix A, the key points in this year’s pay claim which was submitted to the employers’ organisation, UCEA on 9 February 2016. The claim is submitted in the name of UCU, EIS (the other academic union in Scotland), GMB and UNITE. This year, the claim was submitted early, as there has been a tendency for UCEA to drag its heels in getting into meaningful negotiations.

UNISON will be determining their approach at the end of February.

Circular UCUHE/263 provided details of four briefings for branches to discuss this year’s pay campaign and to enable branches to advise the Higher Education Committee (HEC) and the national negotiators on the potential for action, should it prove necessary to provide leverage for the negotiations.

It is likely that the employers will want to settle this year’s pay claim with an offer in the region of 1%. If they follow their usual approach then they will also say that they cannot enter meaningful talks on any of the other points of claim (closing the gender pay gap, ensuring a minimum rate for the job, dealing with the scandal of casualisation).

HEC charged the national negotiators with drafting a timetable for ballot and an outline plan for industrial action, should it prove necessary. The draft timetable is attached at Appendix B. As part of the feedback, members’ views, as agreed by HEC, are being sought directly. However this is not instead of the discussions that will take place at the branch briefings. 

Therefore branches should make every effort to participate in these briefings at which the following questions will be posed:

1.	Do you think an offer of 1% would be acceptable to members in your branch?
2.	Do you agree with the negotiators and HEC that we may need to ballot while negotiations are ongoing to improve our leverage at the table?
3.	What is your assessment of the timetable and forms of action proposed by the negotiators (as they were asked to do by HEC)?
4.	What is your assessment of your branch memberships’ willingness to take the following forms of action in support of the claim?
•	Strike action 
•	Action short of a strike in the form of a work-to-contract
•	Action short of a strike up to and including a marking and assessment boycott

5.	What is you assessment of your branch’s membership to respond to the threat of 100% deductions for partial performance of duties? 

If you have any queries on the briefings or these questions, please contact Paul Bridge in the first instance

Michael MacNeil
National Head, Bargaining and Negotiations

Appendix A
National Claim 2016/17

In advance of the UCEA board meeting on Wednesday 10 February 2016, Unite, GMB, UCU and EIS submit the following key points of the national claim for this year’s New JNCHES negotiations.
•	5 % increase to all spine points on the 51 point national pay scale.
•	Agreed minimum rates of pay for roles within all occupational groups, including to the academic career pathways as detailed in the Model C to the 2004 Agreement.
•	Nationally agreed minimum rates of pay for external examiners. 
•	Nationally-agreed action for institutions to close the gender pay gap by 2020. 
•	Nationally-agreed action for institutions to reduce the proportion of their staff on casual and zero hour contracts and to ensure that their pay reflects the rate-for-the-job of permanent staff. 
•	To establish the Scottish Sub-Committee of New 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. 

Supporting material will be provided in advance of the first new JNCHES meeting on Wednesday 22 March 2016.

Appendix B 
CONFIDENTIAL 
HE National Negotiators Proposed Timetable

Date 	Action/Event 	
10 February	Agree and submit the claim 

12 February	Consult branches and members on the action plan 

	Throughout February - Build the campaign

4 March 	HEC considers consultation responses

15 March	Informal talks with UCEA 

22 March	first new JNCHES negotiations 

•	Unsatisfactory response to claim from UCEA – dispute lodged

w/c 11 April 2016	Ballot members for 3 weeks after Easter holidays

28 April	Second new JNCHES negotiations

29 April 	HEC meets to review matters

w/c 2 May 	Ballot closes and national negotiators meet to decide next steps

19 May	Final new JNCHES negotiations

20 May	National negotiators meet to consider final offer, to decide to consult members, to confirm start of industrial action

W/c 23 May 	Start of industrial action - first wave of strike action plus ASOS

1 – 3 June	UCU annual congress and HE sector conference 

1 July 	HEC