A few days ago the Vice Chancellor sent an email to all staff to inform us that negotiations in the 2021/2022 pay round had concluded with UCEA – the employers’ organisation for Higher Education – making a final offer of 1.5% for the majority of staff (with more, on a sliding scale, for those lower on the pay scale). The University intends to impose this offer in August.
UNISON’s position is that this offer falls far short of the pay claim that the joint trade unions submitted. Last year (2020/2021) the employers imposed a pay freeze (UNISON is still in dispute about this) as a ‘reward’ for the exceptional hard work HE staff put in during the first year of the pandemic, which itself came after a decade of derisory pay awards.
UNISON is now asking members to say whether they accept or reject the 2021/2022 pay offer.
UNISON’s Higher Education Service Group Executive is recommending that members reject the 2021/2022 pay offer. If you vote to reject the offer, you need to be prepared to take part in sustained strike action in order to improve the offer.
To emphasise: this is a consultation exercise, not an industrial action ballot. The result of the consultation will be considered by the Service Group Executive. If industrial action is to be taken, a formal postal ballot of members would then take place, with a 50% turnout required for a valid vote for action.
The 2021/2022 pay offer consultation will begin on Monday 24th May, closing on Friday 18 June.
All eligible members will receive an email with a link enabling you to vote in the consultation anonymously. It will also be possible to vote online even if you don’t get an email (perhaps because you have not given UNISON permission to contact you in this way). Any new members joining before 4th June will be sent a voting link by email.
Remember that you can update some of your personal details in the UNISON membership system here: https://my.unison.org.uk/.
For more information see: https://www.unison.org.uk/at-work/education-services/about/higher-education/fair-pay-for-he/
