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Union frustrations at employers' failings over pay deal

31 March 2009

UCU said today that it was amazed the Universities and Colleges Employers' Association (UCEA) chose not to make a pay offer to the higher education unions at yesterday's pay talks.

The union said the decision did little to bolster confidence of financial competence in the sector. It added that with job losses being threatened across higher education, its leaders have clearly been focusing on dumping, rather than rewarding, staff.
 
Just last week it was revealed that university vice-chancellors were awarded an average pay rise of 9% that put their salary on a par with the Prime Minister. UCU and the other unions (EIS GMB, UNISON and Unite) said they will be discussing the employers' initial reaction and will be seeking further discussions to tease out the money available for this year's pay round for all staff.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'UCU had hoped that the pay talks would have been used to discuss pay. Both sides have recently agreed a new negotiating timetable and we were somewhat staggered that UCEA seemed to blatantly disregard it. The employers need to get their act together, and fast, as the unions were unimpressed with what they saw yesterday.
 
'UCEA used the woes of the economy to go against the spirit of the negotiating process and held back from making an offer. We will now be seeking further discussions and the employers should bring a pay offer to the next set of pay talks. We will of course reserve the right to ballot our members should the offer not meet our expectations.'

Last updated: 11 December 2015

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