The last Joint Negotiation Committee for Higher Education Staff meeting took place on 28 July 2010.
Employers confirmed that the 0.4% consolidated pay offer was the maximum increase that could be offered. The employers also offered to develop a new Training & Development initiative, and work jointly with the unions on a range of other issues in the recently established working groups.
Please see below for the responses of the different unions:
- The University & Colleges Union (UCU) and the Education Institute of Scotland (EIS) rejected all aspects of the offer and declared a dispute.
- The most recent meeting of the national employers (UCEA) with these unions under the Dispute Machinery was held with the Advisory Conciliation & Advisory Service (ACAS) on 20 October 2010.
The other trade unions balloted their members about the pay offer. The positions of these unions are as follows:
- Unison has agreed to accept the 0.4% offer with its members voting by 79.5% in favour to 20.5% against.
- GMB and Unite have rejected the offer, citing the level of the pay offer and lack of progress on an approach to job security as the key issues.
- Unite have formally invoked the disputes procedure and GMB have called for a further meeting.
UCEA will seek to meet all the unions in dispute at another ACAS meeting in the near future.
The UCEA Board will be considering the next steps and how to handle these disparate outcomes at its meeting on 9 December 2010.
We would like you to know that until the negotiations are concluded, the University will not be implementing the 0.4% uplift.
We will keep you informed of any further developments.
Ian Cheetham
Director of Human Resources
22 November 2010