Union reaction to higher education talks

Following an earlier employers' ultimatum of 'jobs or a pay increase', the unions pushed for a national agreement on job security. The national negotiating meeting saw constructive dialogue on possible joint work on issues such as the gender pay gap, work life balance and improvements in missing pay and workforce data.
 
UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'The unions today unanimously rejected what we felt was a derisory pay offer of just 0.3%. There is nothing to prevent UCEA negotiating a national agreement to prevent job losses. In fact in these exceptional financial circumstances we think it is absolutely essential. They have failed to understand, or deal with, the full scale of the jobs crisis in the sector and left us with no choice but to ballot our members for industrial action. Those ballot papers go out this week.
 
'Industrial action is always a last resort, but with thousands of jobs on the line this is not the time to be patient. We need action now to prevent unnecessary job losses and are stunned at the employers' behaviour.'