The Unite National Education Industry Committee (NEIC) met on the 12th January 2011 to consider the outcome of the negotiations and the offer letter of the 16th January. In a full debate the inadequacies of the offer was considered but also the potential improvements especially the training, development and apprentice issues and forum.

The NEIC also recognised that many members were concerned about their own future and to progress the issue to a dispute including the possibility of strike was not high in members minds at this stage. The NEIC remained deeply unhappy about the financial aspects of the offer and agreed UCEA should be advised in no uncertain terms of that deep dissatisfaction. However on the main point on whether to accept or reject the offer and move to a strike ballot the NEIC voted 17 votes to 3 to accept the offer and draw a line under 2010 in the wish to reopen talks on the same issues in 2011.

Read the full letter from Mike Robinson

Unite have now formally rejected the 0.4% pay offer mad by UCEA in the latest round of negotiations. Read the letter from Mike Robinson to UCEA for further information.

Download the joint unions 2010 pay claim

At the New JNCHES meeting on 29 March, UCEA made an offer to explore how a non-consolidated cash sum equivalent to 0.25% of pay bill could be applied.

The employers made no serious attempt to address the other key elements of the joint union claim; for example, nothing on:

• Job security
• Improving the national framework agreement and terms and conditions of employment
• The assimilation of hourly-paid staff to the national agreement
• Proposals to close the gender pay gap
• Proposals for a national system to pay external examiners

Without producing any convincing evidence, the employers asserted that the effect of incremental increases on the pay bill should be taken into account during pay negotiations. This provoked a strong response from the trade unions. Unlike the private sector who pay the rate for the job from day one in the public sector staff start below the full rate and build up reflecting increasing knowledge and skills – arguably providing a short term subsidy for HE employers.

The employers negotiated a pay deal in 2003 that clearly accepted increments as part of the structure so to complain now, when they have known and presumably budgeted for such increases, is a little disingenuous. They are looking for fig leaves and this will not wash.

The trade union side unanimously rejected the offer. The employers were asked to rethink their position and come to the next meeting with a credible offer.

Another meeting is scheduled for 19 April

From Herald Scotland

University principals in Scotland have accepted salary increases of nearly 8% on ­average, at a time when higher education is dealing with the tightest financial settlement since devolution.

83% of Unite members in Universities who had responded rejected the 0.5% pay offer and the refusal by UCEA to sign up to a redundancy avoidance and job security agreement

At the  meeting on the 18th September UCEA disappointingly were unable to improve their abysmally low 0.5% offer, nor to offer any agreement on a redundancy avoidance/job security agreement.

At the Unite special reps meeting held on 24th September with selected reps from the old HENIC and T&G committee present it was agreed to accept the offer of a meeting at ACAS. This meeting is due to take place on the 5th October at ACAS.

Mike Robinson, National Officer for Education has sent this update for members on the latest pay negotioations.

Dear Colleagues

This is to advise you that a special meeting of senior representatives across UK Universities met in Coventry on the 14th August to count the returns in the consultative ballot on the New JNCHES negotiations.

You will recall the main items in UCEA’s offer was a 0.5% uplift in pay scales but a refusal to negotiate on a national job security and redundancy avoidance agreement.

The chief scrutineer John Toner Regional Organiser for Unite assisted by Diane Massie from University of Aberdeen and John Hannigan from Strathclyde University declared the result as follows:-

• Percentage of members voting to reject the offer 83%
• Percentage of members voting to accept the offer 15%
• Percentage of members wishing to record an abstention 2%

The meeting gave approval for a letter to be sent to UCEA’s Chief Executive Jocelyn Prudence confirming Unite members rejection of the UCEA offer and advising the matter was now a disputed matter between Unite and UCEA.  I also wrote to UCEA Chair Professor Sir Bill Wakeham.

The next steps under the NEW JNCHES dispute procedure is for Unite and UCEA within 7 days of notification to agree meetings seeking to find a satisfactory solution. I am awaiting UCEA coming back on a date for that meeting.

If that process fails the disputes procedure allows for a meeting possibly at ACAS to seek to resolve the issues. I can’t say at this stage if that meeting will be needed or approved by UCEA or Unite negotiators.

Other unions are still consulting although UCU are technically in dispute following a previous problem with the NEW JNCHES negotiations.

Your Unite negotiators will be pressing for UCEA to move as the letters indicate especially not to refuse to negotiate on the very important matter of job security, as well as seeking something that uplifts pay especially for low paid staff if inflation rises into 2010.

Obviously if discussions break down a formal ballot is open to us. Your negotiators again ask for your trust on this matter and we will do all we can to find a solution before looking at this option.

I have already indicated that it is important to make sure any data on members is up to date and correct. I have previously sent out a form for members to sign with any new address or membership changes. Please work closely with your local Regional Official to ensure the membership database is up to date.

I will write again once the meeting with UCEA has taken place. Can you please sign the petition .

Yours sincerely
Mike Robinson
National Officer
Education Sector

From Time Higher article :

Ucea must meet the union within seven days to seek a resolution.

Unite is the first campus union to formally respond to the 2009-10 offer, which was made by the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) last month.

Mike Robinson, Unite national officer for education, says in a letter to Jocelyn Prudence, chief executive of Ucea, on 14 August that a consultation with members had resulted in “a massive rejection of the Ucea offer of a 0.5 per cent uplift in salary scales applicable from 1 August and overwhelming opposition to the refusal of Ucea to sign up to a formal job security/redundancy avoidance agreement, as submitted by the joint unions”.

Please read the letter from Mike Robinson (National Officer) with regard to the latest pay negotiations.

Please see the letter from Mike Robinson (National Officer) with reagrd to the recent pay negotiations meeting which took place on Mon 27th April.