Update on this year's higher education pay and working conditions negotiations

Negotiations on this year's pay claim have been concluded and along with the other campus unions, we have now received the final offer from the employers' association UCEA.

I'll be honest with you. The pay element isn't what you deserve, nor where we need it to be--around 2.5% for most members, only offering more at the bottom of the scale. The higher education committee (HEC) rejected an earlier, similar offer and entered dispute resolution meetings. In a context where most public sector workers have been given 5.5%, 2.5% looks increasingly untenable.

However, we have also been working for the past year on terms of reference for negotiations on some key priorities that are vitally important to you--a pay spine review, casualisation, workload and equality pay gaps--and here there is a lot to recommend. The terms of reference have been negotiated between unions and employers and have been included as part of this year's pay offer. Progressing negotiations in these areas has been our aim during recent rounds of industrial action, and now due to your dedication and commitment, it is a reality.

This leaves us in a complicated spot with how to move forward. The higher education committee (HEC) will meet at the end of next week to decide whether to accept the offer, accept parts of the offer, or reject, and whether or not the union should prepare for an industrial action ballot. Your input into this process is essential. Before HEC take any decisions, branches are consulting with members on the different parts of the offer, the negotiators' report, and your willingness to take industrial action. Branches will then report back your views to a branch delegate meeting (BDM) on 24 September, before HEC meets on 27 September to take final decisions. This is your union, and your views matter. You should hear from your branch very soon about how you can have your say--if you don't, please get in touch with them.

In solidarity

Jo Grady
UCU general secretary