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The framework in pre-92 institutions

24 October 2006

In addition to the core framework agreement, within pre-92 institutions the employers further agreed to address the following major concerns as part of an agreement reached with UCU predecessor union AUT:

  • the threat of longer scales with smaller increments and the consequential loss of career earnings
  • the attempt to break the academic/academic-related link
  • the inadequacy of the pay proposals.

The basis of the agreement is the Memorandum of Understanding between UCEA and UCU (AUT) which provides national principles which must underpin pay and grading arrangements in all pre-92 institutions (available below). Specifically it:

  • removes the threat to career earnings proposed by the employers in their original offer
  • safeguards the present pay and grading expectations of academic and academic-related staff, and
  • ensures that grades will be linked to a new national pay spine.

Subsequent to the Memorandum of Understanding UCU (AUT) modelled the principles that we expect the employers to implement and developed a national pre-92 UCU pay model. We are seeking to have that model, or a further improvement on it, implemented in every pre-92 institution.

The key principles of the MOU are:

  • contribution thresholds [ie. top of the pay scales] should be set no lower than the present non-discretionary maxima for equivalent grades
  • staff will have a normal expectation of annual progression to the contribution threshold for their grade
  • this incremental progression to the contribution threshold will take no longer than under current equivalent arrangements.

In addition, the link between academic and academic-related staff grading in pre-92 institutions has now been acknowledged explicitly in the agreement and this will protect the pay progression of both sets of staff. Common grade boundaries for academic and academic-related staff, within a grading structure designed using the principles set out in the Memorandum, will retain the academic-related link. The employers also agreed to set up a national library of academic-related role profiles and to maintain this library at national level which UCU will use to facilitate negotiations of appropriate grading structures.

Last updated: 9 March 2021