2019 National Pay Award
Negotiations for the 1 August 19 national pay award began in March this year between the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), on behalf of the employers and the five recognised Trade Unions. None of the Trade Unions have accepted the offer and following conclusion of the dispute resolution process, UCEA believe that a settlement is unachievable this year. Whilst the employers remain committed to collective pay negotiation, UCEA do not believe that staff should have to wait for this uplift and have advised that it should now be implemented.
The offer to be implemented comprises a 1.8% uplift to all spine points, with extra on the lowest 15 spine points, in addition to the around 3% pay increase for those staff eligible for pay progression. On average this is a 3.4% pay increase which UCEA believes compares well to other pay outcomes in the public sector and elsewhere.
The relevant University webpages are being updated and we expect to implement with August pay.
USS Pension
The 2017 valuation of the USS Pension Scheme estimated that the scheme requires an extra £900M per year in contributions to continue to delivering the same level of Defined Benefit. This valuation proposed significant increases in payments from both employer and employee, which would be phased in by April 2020. Considerable work on a 2018 valuation has been continuing with the aim of delivering an affordable, sustainable way ahead for both employees and employers. We expect to have more news soon. Latest updates from USS are provided at this link.
Richard Brooks and Martin Williams
Director of HR and Director of Finance