Thespian dreams of Susan Price

So. Farewell then
Susan Price
Acting Vice-Chancellor.

It would seem that
You have left

But were you acting?

We have had
Drama before

So why not now?

But then. Does
Anyone really act?

This is the enigma.

with apologies to EJ Thribb (17)

Christmas has not come early for workers in Higher Education

Unite union has branded University Vice Chancellors as Scrooges as low paid workers in higher education are offered almost no pay increase for this year.

Mike Robinson, national officer for Unite's education sector said:

"The final offer of 0.5% from the UCEA (Universities and Colleges Employers Association) on pay will be a bitter disappointment to many low paid workers in Higher Education. Higher education institutions are failing to protect lower paid staff in this recession. Both on pay and job security, poorer families will suffer. Christmas has not come early and Scrooge is a University Vice Chancellor. Unite will begin to ramp up the case for the low paid staff in higher education in 2010".

2009 Pay Recommendation

Pay, related items negotiations and Unite Education Sector emergency motion.

Several important matters have been going on over the last few days that now make it imperative for our members to reconsider where we are going on the 2009 pay claim and the redundancy avoidance and job security process for the sector.

Over the last few weeks there have been several meetings with UCEA and New JNCHES trade unions on the two issues mentioned above.

Job Security

Through the work of ACAS a joint document on job security and redundancy avoidance have been considered. In fact there have been at least 5 drafts, each attempting to breach the gap between UCEA's position and that of the NEW JNCHES unions.

The latest attempt has resulted in a document entitled "Digest on job security: a reference document for Higher Education institutions with input from UCEA and the HE trade unions".
The important factor for Unite is that the Digest is an ACAS badged document and carries the weight and support of ACAS in its content and eventual application. For UCEA their important factor is that the document is not a full agreement.

Unite believe that it is a useful starting point but that it does not prevent local groups from expanding on the Digest or from reaching local agreement around the original draft agreement on job security and redundancy avoidance sent to representatives in recent weeks.

I also attach for your information a copy of the Digest and the agreed Communication with UCEA following the ACAS talks as well as a copy of the Press Notice that Unite issued at the time that the ACAS negotiations concluded.

2009 Pay

On pay despite your negotiators hardest and best attempts we have been unable to move the figure on offer beyond 0.5%. This is despite many ways we have approached the low offer including seeking a lump sum for low paid members of staff or reopeners should inflation increase over coming months.

It is the view of your New JNCHES negotiators that the latest position is the best we are likely to achieve by across the negotiating table without a strong and severe dispute.

Emergency motion

These points were discussed at the Unite Education Sector conference which took place this week in Brighton on the 26th November.
An emergency motion on the issues was considered and voted on by Unite delegates from over 30 higher education institutions present in Brighton.
The emergency motion is attached with this Circular. The most important part in my view is that the conference reluctantly recommended acceptance of the offer of 0.5% "as the best that can be achieved by negotiation". Those attending the conference were all seasoned union representatives who know we either have to be prepared to take strike action to move the matter forward or to regroup for 2010.

Local vote

Local groups are now asked to consider the matter. I would be grateful if you can call a meeting of Unite members preferably as joint meetings of all Unite members ask them to consider the content of this Circular and the attached emergency motion from the sector conference and decide the following question.

Do you wish to accept or reject the offer from UCEA of a 0.5% increase in pay for 2009 (now backdated to August 2009) and the proposed document from ACAS on job security.

Accept…… Reject…..

Please note any vote for rejection of the offer should be made on the basis that such a rejection nationally could be followed by a formal ballot for strike action.

Emergency Conference Motion

Education Sector Emergency Motion

This conference recognises

• That extensive negotiations facilitated by ACAS between UCEA and the HE trade unions concluded on Tuesday 24th November;
• and that many issues put forward by the trade unions remain unresolved; including an agreement on redundancy avoidance in the sector.

This conference

• Reluctantly recommends acceptance of the offer of 0.5% (the lowest pay deal in the public sector) as the best that can be achieved by negotiation.
• Calls on our negotiators to work towards pay deal in 2010 which ensures that low pay is replaced by realistic pay.
• Instructs our national committee to build a campaign to achieve these aims.

2009 Pay Negotiations

WITHOUT PREJUDICE

ACAS

Digest on job security: a reference document for Higher Education institutions with input from UCEA and the HE trade unions

INTRODUCTION

Acas has facilitated a series of meetings between UCEA and the trade unions. At these meetings the trade unions have expressed their concerns and their desire for a national approach on the handling of job security. UCEA has explained the constraints upon its mandate, which is to seek to negotiate a national pay agreement to apply to staff covered by the single pay spine; it has no mandate on behalf of the HE employers to enter into a national agreement in the area of job security and the handling of potential redundancies in HEIs. The management of staffing matters, be it in recruitment, promotion or in the handling of any staff reductions is a matter for each HEI as an independent employer.

HEIs are operating in a difficult and uncertain economic environment. There is guidance available to employers in relation to handling workforce change in such circumstances through bodies such as Acas. This paper presents some of the statutory requirements and also outlines additional points for employers and employee representatives to consider as appropriate. These points have been raised in discussions; they are not all shared.

Key publications are the Acas booklet on Handling Redundancy and How to manage your workforce in a recession (the latter published with CIPD). Some relevant material from these two publications is presented here, along with comment from UCEA, the trade unions, and Acas.

The growth of British industry requires constant review of products and methods of work, and the successful application of new technology. Our ability to maintain competitiveness in world markets depends on this. It is inevitable, however, that redeployment of labour and redundancies will sometimes be necessary. A poorly thought out approach to change can result in a level of uncertainty which damages company performance and, should redundancies be unavoidable, may lead to financial and emotional costs to the individuals affected.

Acas aims to provide guidance for employers, trade unions and employee representatives on how best to handle redundancies. Acas emphasises the importance of planning labour requirements to avoid or to minimise the need for redundancies; the benefits of establishing an agreed procedure for handling redundancies; and the need for fairness and objectivity when selecting members of the workforce for redundancy. Acas material considers the practicability of offering redundant employees alternative work, counselling or other assistance. Acas hopes that its material will act as an aid to improved employment relations practice by ensuring that the need for redundancies is minimised, and that where they are unavoidable, decisions are made in a fair and consistent manner.[1]

A joint Acas and CIPD guidance note[2] is drawn on here to highlight three key points, following which particular perspectives are added from either UCEA or the trade unions which are the specific view points of those parties.

KEY POINT 1 – CONSULT WITH YOUR WORKFORCE AND THEIR REPRESENTATIVES

UCEA notes the following from the Acas / CIPD guidance note as relevant for HEIs’ consideration when dealing with collective redundancies:

· Consult with your trade union where one is recognised. (NB – this will be the case for the majority of UCEA subscribers)

· If there is no trade union, set up a special employee forum or consultative body long enough before the redundancies occur to provide information and to consult.

· Ensure that representatives have paid time off and appropriate facilities in order to meet and communicate with their constituents.

· Provide training for representatives (the trade unions will provide this for their representatives) – legally this has to be done, but it will also help the smooth running of the whole process.

· Consult representatives about ways to avoid redundancies, reducing the number to be dismissed and mitigating the consequences of any redundancies. The consultation must take place with a view to reaching an agreement.

· Recognise the difficult but key role that representatives have to play.

In addition, UCEA suggests consideration is given to:

· Informing wider stakeholders, including student representatives

· Engaging in dialogue with local TU representatives to discuss long-term financial sustainability, organisational change and workforce planning

· Ensuring that there is a good understanding of a particular institution’s context and challenges.

The legal requirements of a collective redundancy consultation are that the employer provides certain information, including:

· Reasons for the proposals

· Numbers and descriptions of employees whom it is proposed to dismiss as redundant

· Total number of employees of that description employed by the employer at the establishment in question

· Proposed method of selecting the employees who are at risk of dismissal

· Proposed method of carrying out the dismissals, with due regard to any procedure, including the period over which the dismissals are to take effect.[3]

In addition, the TUs suggest HEIs consider the following points:

· Conduct equality impact assessments and consult unions to ensure prior consideration on whether the proposals have a disproportionate effect on either gender, black and ethnic minority staff, disabled staff, and staff of different ages

· Carry out individual consultations with those staff affected (ensuring staff are aware they are entitled to be accompanied by a trade union representative)

· Advise on the proposed method of calculating the amount of any redundancy payments to be made to employees who may be dismissed.

The TUs also suggest that information beyond the statutory requirements may be helpful, such as:

· Statistics on staff turnover for previous years

· Lists of vacancies on a regular basis

· Details of the institution’s current financial position

· Details of the redundancy appeals procedure

KEY POINT 2 – THINK LONG TERM

UCEA notes the following from the Acas / CIPD guidance note as relevant for HEIs’ consideration when dealing with collective redundancies:

· Think creatively about how to reduce employment costs, such as new ways of working and work reorganisation.

· Remember that making people redundant and recruiting again later when the market picks up is expensive.

· Protect and make the most of the training budget – focus resources on key areas such as improving line management capability and customer service.

· Bear in mind your long-term reputation.

In addition, the TUs suggest HEIs consider the following points:

· Inform and consult with the trade unions at the earliest opportunity

· Seek all possible opportunities for redeployment (including, where necessary, retraining) to other parts of the organisation

· Provide careers advice and training in transferrable skills, where practicable

· Seek alternative funding, e.g. where funding for a particular project has expired.

KEY POINT 3 – THINK ABOUT WAYS TO MINIMISE REDUNDANCIES

UCEA notes the following drawn from the Acas / CIPD guidance note as relevant for HEIs’ consideration when dealing with collective redundancies:

· Take advantage of natural wastage and/or offer voluntary redundancy terms – redundancies can have a serious negative impact on morale and performance.

· Cut back recruitment and review your use of temporary staff.

· Retrain employees whose skills are no longer in demand and redeploy employees to other parts of the organisation where possible.

· Reduce or eliminate overtime working.

· Consider short-time working, temporary lay-offs or sabbaticals.

· Plan reward strategies carefully – especially if the scope for pay awards is restricted.

· Encourage staff to suggest how jobs can be done more efficiently and costs saved.

In addition, the TUs suggest HEIs consider the following points:

· Try to make savings in non-staff budgets and to achieve any unavoidable reduction of staff levels by natural wastage

· Review the use of external contractors, where practicable

· Consider volunteers for part-time working or job-sharing

· Consider volunteers for redundancy including, where practicable, from areas of work where other potentially redundant staff possess transferable experience and skills to enable possible redeployment

· Consider ring-fencing vacancies, where this is practicable, to internal applicants otherwise likely to be made redundant

· Establish a redeployment procedure that ensures staff at risk of redundancy are aware of and can be considered for suitable posts

· Minimise potential redundancies by such means as utilising transferable skills and maximising redeployment options, including the potential for retraining

OTHER SOURCES OF INFORMATION

· It is noted that UCEA has produced a Briefing on handling job losses which is available to UCEA members on its website. The briefing sets out the legal framework in which employers operate.

· It is noted that the trade unions have produced model procedures which they would wish to see considered by HEIs. These can be seen at (insert web link).

· Other sources of information:

Redundancy Handling booklet, Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service, April 2009

Employee communications and consultation, Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service, July 2008

How to manage your workforce in a recession, www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/emplaw/redundancy/_hwmngwrfrcs.htm, 2009

---

[1] Redundancy Handling booklet, Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service, April 2009

[2] How to manage your workforce in a recession: a joint Acas and CIPD guidance note, www.cipd.co.uk/subjects/emplaw/redundancy/_hwmngwrfrcs.htm, 2009

[3] Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992, s188

John Bevan

I'm sorry to report that John Bevan passed away last Saturday 7th November


John’s association with UEL began in April 1979. He provided technical support for the Department of Estate Management at the Waltham Forest precinct of the North East London Polytechnic - one of the precursor institutions of the University.

NELP withdrew from Waltham-Forest and the department was relocated to Duncan House. John became Chief Technician within Audio Visual Technical Services. At this time the Polytechnic changed its name to the Polytechnic of East London.

After the formation of the University in 1992 a further relocation saw John work at the main Stratford Campus within Audio Visual Services. As if this wasn’t enough John also found time to work at Maryland House within Library Services where he finished in July 2003. John’s positive attitude was a source of motivation to those around him and his work would have had a big impact on students and staff.

It was here when John made an impact within the University branch of what was then MSF as a long standing member he was interested in Health & Safety issues sufficiently to become a Union Safety Representative. He then developed into a position on the Branch Committee before progressing as a delegate to the London Area Universities Advisory Committee and a delegate to the National Conference. His final position was as Branch Chair, a position he initially took after some arm twisting but grew into and colleagues will have fond memories of him before he retired.

As an active member of the union, John always made time for others. John will be remembered for his genuine, thoughtful and caring nature. His positive attitude, and willingness to help others, John will be remembered warmly by his friends and colleagues at UEL.

GMB, UCU, EIS and Unite all reject pay offer

2009 pay and associated items

I reported to you in my last Circular 7th October 2009 that Unite had entered into discussions with UCEA via ACAS following our members rejection of the offer on 0.5% on pay and the refusal by UCEA to enter into a national agreement on job security and redundancy avoidance.

I also reported that Unison appeared to be willing to accept the offer but remained deeply disturbed by the low offer and warned that they would not accept a repeat in next years pay round.

Since then others unions have reported back their positions. EIS one of the Scottish education unions has written to UCEA and rejected the offer. So has UCU, again rejecting the offer and seeking a firm commitment by UCEA on job security and redundancy avoidance within the sector. The last union to report back was GMB who have also rejected the employers offer.

The latest letter sent today is from all unions to UCEA seeking a reopening of the New JNCHES negotiations. This has been timed to arrive for the UCEA Board meeting taking place today, 15th October.

Unite has continued with a series of meeting with UCEA under ACAS auspices. The content of these discussions were reported in my last Circular. For the time being the discussions are paused awaiting other developments reported above. The ACAS discussions may be reopened but other attempts are being made to reopen New JNCHES and Unite will be a party to those talks if they materialise.

In a way I can appreciate UCEA's dilemma. Their university subscribers refuse to give them any leeway on negotiations. The subscribers appear to be acting like Ostriches with their heads firmly stuck in the sand hoping the legitimate issues the trade unions are raising on pay, especially for the low paid in the sector and job security will simply go away. They will not.

Until UCEA have the power to negotiate then the employers will be faced with a rising level of dissatisfaction and discontent from ordinary members. It does mean at the moment UCEA have little to offer and there is a danger to national negotiations if UCEA do not have the ability to negotiate. On the other hand the employers won’t want full blown negotiations locally because as institutions will find the pressure from trade unions can be more concentrated and intense.

Unite continues to receive announcements from universities on proposed job losses, yet the same universities refuse to agree a process for redundancy avoidance before we even get to an announcement on job losses. In other sectors deals have been done in exchange for settlements on low pay that also limit redundancies. In higher education the employer wants the "penny and the bun"; to offer the lowest increase in the public sector this year but also to retain the ability to apply compulsory job losses and not even sign up to a modest agreement on redundancy avoidance.

The joint trade unions are now waiting to see if UCEA are prepared to engage in further dialogue. If not I will be seeking a clear mandate from members on where they wish to go next and it will be debated at the new Unite national education industry committee (NIEC) meeting being held next week.

I will keep you advised after next weeks meeting.

Yours sincerely

Mike Robinson
National Officer
Higher Education

unison vote to accept pay

Unison have now announced the result of their consultation ballot. The text of their note to members is a s follows

UNISON 6th October 2009
"Overwhelming vote to accept the 2009/10 pay offer
The pay consultation results for this year reveal that 81.5% of members voted in favour of accepting the offer.
Accompanying feedback suggested that whilst members saw the offer as very poor, they took into account recent pay awards and were mainly focussed on protection of their jobs. Nonetheless there appears to be a significant feeling that whilst members are prepared to put up with a low offer this year, that should the national employers seek to make a similar offer next year there would be a different reaction.
UNISON’s national Higher Education Service Group Executive (HESGE) met on the 2nd October to discuss the results of the consultation and decided that the clear result meant that the offer should be accepted and to inform the employers accordingly. The HESGE also noted that whilst UNISON members have indicated that they are ready to settle that other unions are still involved in their internal consultations and we will aim to work together and avoid potential divisions over the coming period.
The HESGE made it clear during the consultation that they will continue to press for a national intervention around job cuts and did not see the issue solely linked to the pay offer. As noted in HE/30/09 we continue to discuss a potential letter from the employers to their members that would outline our concerns.
Finally noting the feeling of members the HESGE has begun to plan a campaign for next years pay round. We will be seeking to work closely with the other unions under the “5 unions 1 demand Defend Higher Education” banner.
Unite negotiators have had two dispute level meetings with UCEA on the 20th August and 18th September. Aside from putting each others point of view nothing else of substance came out of the meetings except UCEA's claim that they have been given clear instructions from subscribing universities that they cannot move on either pay or an agreement on redundancy avoidance.
This means that as far as the disputes procedure is concerned Unite has exhausted all internal level discussions. There is an external level to ACAS.
UCEA Chief Executive Jocelyn Prudence wrote to me to formally offer talks at ACAS to try and resolve the disputed items. The matter was put to a special action committee formed from some members from the old T&G and Amicus national committees. That action committee meeting was held on the 24th September. The meeting agreed that the Unite negotiators should attend ACAS for further talks.
The meeting was held with ACAS facilitation on 5th October. Due to a number of absences from the Unite side some deputising was necessary. Tony Aldridge from University of Swansea, John Hannigan from Strathclyde, Sandra Robinson from University of Liverpool and myself attended on behalf of Unite. Michael McNeill from UCU attended as observer as did Jon Richards from Unison. The meeting was hosted by John Woods for ACAS and UCEA was represented by Chief Executive Jocelyn Prudence, Deputy Chief Executive Helen Fairfoul and Head of Employee Relations & Reward Damian Docherty.
The pay issues were set aside for the present to see if other areas could be progressed. Unite concentrated on trying to get UCEA to move on the redundancy avoidance agreement but because of the limitations on UCEA's remit it was clear there was little negotiating room. A possible avenue for potential progress could be through a New JNCHES working group on financial sustainability of HEIs, including looking at workforce planning, with partnership work proposed on increasing understanding of technical aspects of HEI finance. Discussions are continuing on this.
I will advise on any progression on these items in a later Circular.
Finally UCU are due to announce the results of its consultation process on 9th October. I will advise you about this when I hear what UCU is announcing to members in due course.
I know that behind the scenes everyone has been working hard ensuring our membership records are correct. Thank you for undertaking this task, it is appreciated.

Yours sincerely

Mike Robinson
National Officer
Higher Education

Pay Latest

Re JNCHES Pay and other items

Following on from my last Circular on JNCHES negotiations in July which you will recall reported that over 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 I wrote to Jocelyn Prudence Chief Executive of UCEA to record the Unite rejection and the fact that Unite is in dispute on the pay and the refusal to sign up to redundancy avoidance/job security issue.

Under the JNCHES procedures parties in dispute should have at least two meeting to seek to resolve outstanding matters. To this end both Unite and UCEA agreed the 20th August and 18th September dates to address the matters in dispute.

At the 18th August meeting Unite outlined the reasons why a 0.5% offer was not attractive or acceptable to Unite members. Various inflation indices were expected to rise and Unite members particularly those on low pay had suffered considerable increases in food and fuel costs due to inflationary pressures. Unite was also concerned about a further increase in inflation over the period 2009/2010 to which the 0.5% offer was intended to cover as well as explaining that many financial sources were anticipating a worsening of the inflation indexes over 2009-2010.

Unite presented various potential ways forward on the current impasse. These included the possibility of re-opening pay discussion later in the salary cycle if inflation did indeed worsen. It was also tentatively raised the possibility of special recognition for low paid staff to avoid on cost issues for the employer of a one off or re-jigged payment that would go some way towards the higher food and fuel inflationary pressures.

Unite was also concerned that UCEA seemed to have no mandate to enter into agreement with the JNCHES unions on a redundancy avoidance or job security agreement despite the fact UCEA had introduced the subject into negotiations.

UCEA responded to these points but also agreed to take the issues away to consider them in more detail. There was also a Universities UK meeting on the 8th September in Edinburgh where the UCEA response would be raised and perhaps fine tuned.

At the return 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. It appears that once again UCEA negotiators do not have the ability to move away from their subscribers limited mandate or to agree a national process.

At the meeting Unite negotiators time and time again returned to the effects of applying such a low rate of 0.5% on low paid salaries and of those higher education institutions who rather than seek to avoid job losses seemed to relish pushing ahead with redundancies as a means of resolving financial pressures. Unite also reminded UCEA that at some HEI's there were remuneration increases beyond 0.5% but not for those in the low paid groups.

The meeting broke up with Unite negotiators advising they were still in dispute and would take the response back to a special meeting of Unite meeting on the 24th September.

On the 21st September Jocelyn Prudence for UCEA wrote to me asking would Unite be willing to attend an ACAS brokered meeting to explore ways out of the latest impasse.

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. It was further agreed to ask to extend the meeting to observers from other unions as had previously happened in other disputes.

This meeting is due to take place on the 5th October at ACAS meetings London with a delegation of Unite representatives and myself as National Officer with UCEA and observers from the other unions UCU, Unison. EIS are not able to attend and I think we are still waiting for GMB to respond to the invitation.

I will issue a further circular after the 5th October to advise what took place.

For your information other unions are now completing their consultation processes and I think by the 9th October when the last result is expected we will have an understanding where other unions wish to go on the matter.

I would like to thank everyone for all the work that has gone in to getting our membership lists ready for any possible ballot. Keep them updated and be prepared to respond to any ballot call.

The new Unite National Education Industrial Committee will be meeting shortly and will be making important decisions about where Unite goes in relation to any dispute. The new Committee will also have the opportunity of electing new JNCHES negotiators from Unite. As soon as the date for this committee has been agreed I will let everyone know.

Finally the new National Education Sector Conference will be held on 26th November in Brighton to consider motions from Regional Committees. I am sure the pay and related redundancy issues will be at the fore of the Conference discussions.

Yours sincerely

Mike Robinson
National Officer
Higher Education

Pay latest

Just a quick note following the meeting we had in Coventry on Friday
to count and evaluate the consultative ballot.We had a positive
meeting that considered two things;getting the employers back to the
table to talk about our claim and what our strategy would be if those
talks are inconclusive.

We now have a date and time to meet with UCEA,Thursday the 20th of
August, and we will be taking the following points to that meeting;

1.A joint National Redundancy Avoidance policy.
2.A pay increase or a lump sum for those on the first two grades.
3.That UCEA recommend to its subscribers that they move their pensions
schemes to either SAUL or USS.
4.To re open pay talks in January/February if there is an increase in the RPI.

There was a discussion on how we move forward if the talks are
inconclusive and apart from defining a strategy for strike action,we
emphasised the need for our membership lists to be up to date and that
our members are fully aware of the reasons for taking this
action.Simply put;This is now a fight for jobs and job security for
the future,and we need to be ready.

We will keep you all informed as the meetings progress.

Unite rejects 0.5 per cent pay offer

Unite rejects 0.5 per cent pay offer

The results of the consultative ballot recently carried out has seen an overwhelming majority to decide to reject the 0.5% pay offer.

The next stage is the implementation of the dispute procedure and to that end a meeting has been requested under the auspices of ACAS within the next seven days.

see Times Higher Article

Joint Union Campaign

Defend Higher Education

We call for a national agreement to protect jobs in higher education and a fair pay settlement, and we call on university employers to mandate the UCEA to seek an agreement with the unions in the interests of our economy and our communities

see this link Defend Higher Education

National Pay

National Pay

To: To all members Unite working in Higher Education



Dear Colleagues

Terms and condition negotiations 2009-07-28

You may have read recent Circulars sent out by me about the lack of progress in pursuing a detailed claim for improvements in the terms and conditions claim presented during March 2009 by all unions operating in higher education. UCU also joined the negotiations in April.

I am sorry to report that your five negotiators, Dave Jones Manchester University, Hugh Lewsley Queens Belfast, Tony Britton University of East London together with John Toner Unite Regional Organiser in Wales and me as National Officer for Unite have made little if any progress on the aims contained within that claim. I should add we have also been assisted by Sandra Robinson Liverpool University who has also stood in as a deputy.

The joint union claim (Unite, Unison, GMB and EIS) included changes in holidays, improvements in the pay scales, moves to a 35 hour week for all, improvements in shift/on call payments and a host of other changes in flexible working. Your negotiators were not as naïve to expect all of these items or all at once. We were ready for the normal horse trading that comes from negotiations.

However at the very first meeting we were warned by the Employers Association UCEA that any move to increase pay would be paid for in job losses.

We asked if HE workers accepted a nil increase in pay, as some sectors in manufacturing had done, could the Employers Association sign up to no compulsory job losses. Their reply was they would not agree to stop redundancies even if we agreed to freeze pay.

According to the Employers Association if we negotiated a pay rise it would result in job losses and if we didn’t negotiate a pay rise it would still end up in job losses.

The joint unions including Unite thought in that case rather than just seek a pay increase we should also be trying to get a job security agreement; an understanding with the Employer on ways to avoid job losses by agreed job changes or flexible working or by ending contractors on site or perhaps seeking volunteers for redundancy.

To do that the joint unions drafted a job security and redundancy avoidance agreement. I should point out it was not a “no compulsory redundancy agreement” but rather sought to take remedial action in advance of redundancies by following established steps such as those described earlier. It was presented to the Employers negotiating body, UCEA, at the JNCHES negotiating in May 2009 but was firmly rejected by the Employers.
The Employers position was, to paraphrase, “jobs will be lost whatever happens but we will not negotiate a national agreement on the avoidance of job losses”. Why? In my view UCEA are afraid to reach an agreement as many Universities and Colleges do not want to be forced into an agreement but prefer to reach for redundancies as a solution rather than having the trouble to negotiate on avoiding redundancies as the law requires.

Following fruitless negotiations a series of meetings have been held at ACAS to try and get round the impasse. All unions including Unite have tried to find an acceptable way through. So far nothing has succeeded.

The Employers finally offered a 0.5% increase in pay at the last JNCHES meeting in July after stretching the negotiations over 3 months and increasing the offer only by 0.1% each time. It has been a complete farce and a sham.

For those members on £13,000 a year the final offer of 0.5% would give an increase in pay of £65 per year. After tax and national insurance it would be worth less than £1.00 a week.

Your pay increase is designed to ensure you are paid a fair level for a fair days work. It is also to compensate for inflation. Inflation can be calculated in several ways. Rent, council tax, mortgage rate increases need to be taken into account as does fuel costs and food price rises. Currently fuel and food inflation is exceeding the 0.5% final offer on pay.

Because your pay increase has to last until the next negotiations in August 2010 it is important that the figure is fixed at the correct level at the start. Too low and you are losing money. The Employer naturally argues it cannot afford too high an increase.

We know from Government funding allocations that Universities will receive significant amounts in their budgets for 2009 and 2010. However the Employers argue these will not be enough to meet anticipated costs on pension funding, capital spending and staff salaries. They argue funding levels are being capped. The Government has also promised a full review on student fees in 2010. Various commentators expect increases. Even Lord Mandelson says if fees rise students from poorer backgrounds should be assisted. So there is an expectation an increase is coming sooner or later.

Most Vice Chancellors cry poverty but are paid extremely well. They will argue they are paid the rate for the job or that they don’t decide their own pay, it’s done by a Senate or Staff Council decision or that any pay increase is within the rules. Sound a familiar argument to you?

Effect of Inflation

One of the main factors your negotiators have been looking at is what will happen to inflation over the period 2009 to 2010. Below are some forecasts that show the different inflation rate calculations over the period. Some are currently negative amounts but they are due to rise significantly into next year with some forecasts at or above 3% by early 2010.


The 0.5% offer from the Employers is being made at the lowest point in the inflation dip. It would save thousands off a wage bill if inflation and fees rise as predicted but your pay is fixed at less than the expected 3% rate. So settling too low now could mean your pay would be hit harder by inflation very early next year.

Unite has argued that it might be better to accept an increase now but to ensure a further increase in pay if inflation rises early next year. The Employers have firmly rejected that idea.

In other areas pay offers have been higher. Local Authority workers received a minimum of 1% from April 2009. Further Education workers received an offer of 1.5% for 2009-2010. Only in HE is the offer an abysmal 0.5%.

In order to make their final offer look better the Employers have even tried to argue that most staff will be getting an additional 3% as an incremental increase. This hints at desperation when Employers argue that an incremental point is a pay increase. It is not. It is part compensation and recognition for having gained more experience in the role. As you will know not all staff will receive an incremental increase.

The Employers have even blamed the low pay offer on pension increases for academic staff or increases in the USS scheme. Why academic or USS pension increases affect your pay increase has not been adequately explained to us.



Where are we going from here?

The two Unite HE committees in higher education (T&G and Amicus) have now met. Both rejected the pay offer and deplored the absence of a properly negotiated national job security agreement. Both wished members to have full consultation and to have workplace meetings or local ballots to decide their views. There will be a national count as soon as all groups have had their meetings and all the local results are known.

If the overall majority Unite vote is to accept the offer your pay scales will be increased by 0.5% even if inflation goes beyond 3% in early 2010 as predicted by some commentators. There would be no national job security agreement.

Your negotiators and national committee are recommending you reject the final offer of 0.5%. The aim is to join other unions rejecting the offer and to try and find ways of putting pressure on the Employers as part of a concerted campaign to raise the issues.

The negotiators need your help to raise the stakes. Without your full support the issues will not go any further.

Your negotiators recognise that times are tough. We hope you accept that the Employers are trying to take advantage using difficult economic circumstances this year to save themselves millions of pounds now. If the Employers were really serious about assisting job losses they could have offered or explored a wage freeze in exchange for a no compulsory redundancy agreement. They did not. If the Employers were really serious about job losses they could have gone the extra mile and signed up to a national job security agreement. They refused to do that.

Your union needs your help to press the case. If you and others reject the offer by a majority, your negotiators will seek to reopen negotiations for both a national job security agreement and an improvement in the pay offer but with the force of your rejection to back us up.

As negotiators we know your interests are paramount. We hope you trust that your negotiators know when matters need to be pressed further. In our view this is the time.

If the Employers still refuse to negotiate then you may be asked to vote in order to take the matter a stage further and possibly support a vote for industrial action. Before that stage is reached you will be briefed again and by law you will have a secret postal ballot sent to your home address. If that point is reached an independent scrutineer will count the votes and issue the result.

Both Unite groups have nominated local union representatives currently working in higher education to act as a national disputes committee to decide whether to take the matter to the next stage. That group may decide whether to move to any formal action ballot if further negotiations break down but that point has not been reached and we all hope it can be avoided.

In case further action is required we need to have your latest full postal address. At your local meetings your local union representatives will explain the issues again and ask you to up date records to ensure we have your current postal address.

This is precautionary in case we need a full postal ballot but the hope is that sense will prevail and negotiations will result in a settlement that includes an improvement in the 0.5% offer and a national job security agreement.

These are difficult times but that is no reason your Employer should take advantage of workers or simply refuse to negotiate on many important aspects least of all pay and job security.

Please reject the offer and send a message to each University, School and College in Higher Education in the UK that you and your colleagues will not be pushed around.

Don’t settle for less. You are worth more.

Yours sincerely


Mike Robinson
National Officer
Education Sector

Pay Meeting

There will be a meeting on the Pay Offer on Wednesday 5th August at 12.30 at Stratford Campus in roon CCG.06

This is to advise you that recently Unite national committee meetings within higher education (T&G and Amicus) were held on the 21st and 23rd July respectfully.

Both committees considered the latest pay offer made at JNCHES by UCEA on the 15th July 2009. This was for uplift in salary scales by 0.5%. The union side request for a national job security and redundancy avoidance agreement was rejected by UCEA.

Both Unite national committees rejected the offer and agreed to hold formal consultation with members in each workplace to ascertain member’s views.

2009 JNCHES Pay and Conditions Claim

2009 JNCHES Pay and Conditions Claim Unite T&G and HENIC Committee outcome

This is to advise you that recently Unite national committee meetings within higher education (T&G and Amicus) were held on the 21st and 23rd July respectfully.

Both committees considered the latest pay offer made at JNCHES by UCEA on the 15th July 2009. This was for uplift in salary scales by 0.5%. The union side request for a national job security and redundancy avoidance agreement was rejected by UCEA as my previous Circular MJR/VT/HE/16/09 makes clear.

Both Unite national committees rejected the offer and agreed to hold formal consultation with members in each workplace to ascertain member’s views. Further details of how local representatives should conduct those consultations and how local committees should return the results will be forwarded to you shortly.

I will also be writing to you later this week with a guidance document for members outlining the main reasons why the offer from UCEA and its University subscribers is considered inadequate and advising where Unite sees the solution to the contended issue.

Members will be asked to vote at workplace meetings or by a local ballot to either accept or reject the offer. The timescale to return all local responses will be by 12th August 2009 at the latest however please wait for the full documentation before holding any meetings with members.

Local union representatives are also being urged to ensure that workplace details for all members are up to date and how they can ensure records are updated. This is a precautionary activity in case the union needs to hold a full national ballot in due course. Full details on how to update records will also be sent to you shortly.

All full time regional officers and organisers of the union will also be contacted and asked to give local union representatives full assistance at any workplace meetings as well as verifying local votes before the results are forwarded to my office for final collation. FTO’s and their staff will also be asked to assist in ensuring all membership records are as up to date as possible.

Higher Education E-Bulletin
Issue 34 February 2009


Contents
Colleges braced for harsh cutbacks
Supporting the economy a key priority for universities
Imperial College Students Union Recognition Win
The Campus Engage International Conference 2009
Bargaining Brief
A security boost for physics
Risks
Hundreds rally to fight cuts at London Met
UK Economy – TUC Site


Colleges braced for harsh cutbacks

Independent.ie, John Walshe Education Editor, January 28 2009

Staff at two universities have been called to urgent meetings to be told of severe cuts.

They include pay restraint, a freeze on filling most vacancies, restrictions on travel to conferences abroad, reductions in funding for schools and departments, and higher charges.

In Cork, University College Cork (UCC) president Dr Michael Murphy addressed staff yesterday. It will be UCD's turn tomorrow. In the meantime, 'An Bord Snip' is looking for information from the universities to see where they can make further savings.

Staff in UCC have already had their pay frozen for a year and contracts have not been renewed for many non-permanent employees.

Dr Murphy told yesterday's meeting the university would try to work through the difficulties without any job cuts.

Click here to read the complete story:
http://www.independent.ie/education/latest-news/
colleges-braced-for-harsh-cutbacks-1616852.html

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Supporting the economy a key priority
for universities

Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (National),22 January 2009

Supporting the economy through the recession and building a framework for the future of higher education are the two key priorities Universities Secretary, John Denham has set for the sector.

In his annual grant letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) John Denham has asked the Council to support and encourage the sector to use its huge resources to help deal with the consequences of the current economic climate and to lay the foundations for the future.

With equal priority, Denham has also asked for advice while developing a framework for the next 10 - 15 years to ensure that the higher education system remains world class in years to come.

He also recognises the need for HEFCE to maintain high levels of funding for those institutions with the largest volumes of world-class research whilst nurturing pockets of excellence elsewhere. John Denham will also ask HEFCE to explore ways to remove barriers to research partnerships between universities and both charities and businesses.

He also confirmed following indications in October that there will be funding for 10,000 additional student numbers this year. This means that in 2009/10 there will be 30,000 more funded students than in 2007/08. Numbers for 2010/11 will be allocated later in the year.

Click here to read the complete story:
http://nds.coi.gov.uk/environment/fullDetail.asp?ReleaseID=390443&
NewsAreaID=2&NavigatedFromDepartment=False

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Imperial College Students Union
Recognition Win

In December members at Imperial College Students Union won recognition for all casual staff. The employees being covered are mostly students who work on casual contracts. Commenting on the new agreement National Student Co-ordinator David Braniff-Herbert said 'The Student Union recognition win here marks the first of its kind for our student campaign, we look forward to building more agreements at Students Union across the UK '. Unite's Working Student Campaign has been running for over two years and has seen over 500 students join our Union.

If you would like to know more or would like to receive Student booklets and applications for this campaign, contact David Braniff-Herbert via email: David.Braniff-Herbert@UnitetheUnion.com. There is also a dedicated website for the campaign: www.UniteWorkingStudents.org

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The Campus Engage International
Conference 2009


Higher Education and Civic Engagement Partnerships: Create, Challenge, Change.

Venue:

Campus Engage would like to invite you to its inaugural conference at Croke Park Conference Centre, Dublin, Ireland. between June 4th-5th 2009. Higher education academics and administrators, people involved in community organisations and students, from Ireland and beyond are welcome.

The 2009 Campus Engage International conference will provide participants from community and higher education with an opportunity to discuss the potential for change offered by civic engagement partnerships in areas such as service learning / community-based learning, research, civic education and volunteering.

Four general conference themes related to higher education and civic engagement partnerships have been identified:

Philosophy
Practice
Policy
Partnership
Submissions are welcome from individuals but we also encourage collaborative contributions blending community, student and academic perspectives. While not exclusive, preference will be given to submissions that address the general conference themes outlined above.

The conference website link is:
http://conference.campusengage.ie/site/view/65/

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Bargaining Brief

The latest Bargaining Brief (BB), January/February 2009, can be found at:
http://extranet.tgwu.org.uk/home.php?page_id=7&group_id=4

If you have any questions about BB please contact;
Steve Martin
Research Officer,
Unite the Union,
Amicus section
Mobile no: 07918 640597

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A security boost for physics

Institute of Physics, 30 January 2009

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has announced that it will make permanent an allocation of £25 million each year to secure the higher education provision of strategically important subjects, including physics, from 2010 onwards.

Subjects such as physics, chemistry and chemical engineering are more expensive for universities to provide because of the increasing cost of laboratory facilities. In 2007, HEFCE allocated £75 million for three years to ensure the availability of courses in these strategically important subjects.

Peter Main, director of education and science at the Institute of Physics , said, “I am delighted with HEFCE's commitment to safeguard the long-term sustainability of university physics provision. This announcement sends a positive message of the government's support for physics and the contribution that physics graduates make to the UK 's economy.”

Source link:
http://www.iop.org/News/jan09/news_32595.html

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Risks

Risks is the TUC's weekly online bulletin for safety reps and others, read each week by over 16,000 subscribers and 1,500 on the TUC website. To receive this bulletin every week go to:

http://www.tuc.org.uk/h_and_s/tuc-15891-f0.cfm#tuc-15891-25

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Hundreds rally to fight cuts at London Met

Rebecca Attwood, The Times Higher Education, 05 February 2009

Hundreds of staff and students have protested against the potential loss of as many as 500 jobs at London Metropolitan University.

The rally took place as the university's governors met last week to discuss the Higher Education Funding Council for England's plan to claw back millions of pounds in funding that London Met has been overpaid owing to problems with the university's data on student dropouts.

Jeremy Corbyn, Labour MP for Islington North, has launched an early day motion arguing that the scale of cuts throws the future viability of the university into doubt and undermines efforts to widen participation.

The motion, which has been signed by 13 MPs to date, urges the university to reverse staff cuts and commit to "a thorough exploration of all potential non-staff savings through meaningful consultation with staff and campus unions".

As Times Higher Education reported last month, the university's University and College Union branch said that London Met could be asked to pay back as much as £50 million.

Hefce has confirmed that it is looking to retrieve money the university has been overpaid in previous years in addition to imposing a £15 million cut in the university's grant for 2008-09.

Click here to read the complete story:
http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?
sectioncode=26&storycode=405287&c=2

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UK Economy – TUC Site

The TUC publishes regular expert analysis of the UK economy and our place in the world. Here there are links to their most recent economics briefings and reports.

Their UK Economy site can be found at:
http://www.tuc.org.uk/economy/index.cfm

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This e-bulletin has been produced by Rick Graham, Unit Researcher for the Higher Education sector. If you have any news items or stories you would like included in this bulletin please contact Rick at:

Rick.Graham@unitetheunion.com



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