UCU response to UCEA's latest final offer

UCU today said its branches would be meeting next month to discuss the latest offer from the Universities and Colleges Employers Association. UCU has been in dispute with UCEA since the spring and strike action has taken place at universities across the UK.

The offer includes plans to tackle the gender pay gap and to deal with the problem of casual contracts and job insecurity for staff - key elements of the union's pay claim. However, it does not make an improvement on the 1.1% pay offer made by UCEA in April, which was just a 0.1% increase on the original 1% offer made in March.

The union said that UCEA's stated aim to "keep channels open for dialogue... to seek a settlement with all the trade unions on their 2016-17 claim" looked strange next to its move of urging universities to impose the 1.1% pay increase before the dispute had been resolved.

UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'Branches will be meeting when they return after the summer break to discuss the dispute. The union's higher education committee will meet in October to reflect on branches' reaction to this offer and to decide on the union's next steps.

'While it is encouraging that UCEA says it wishes to work towards a settlement, it is disappointing it has called on universities to impose its 1.1% offer.'