Sally Hunt
Policy briefing
Higher education pay
What has happened to pay?
The last five years have seen many HE members regain some of the ground lost over the previous two decades. When I became general secretary of AUT in 2002, lecturers’ starting salaries in pre-92 universities were just £22,191.
By 2008, at those institutions who signed up to the AUT/UCEA Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) we should see starting salaries of at least £31,696.
It is a similar story for research staff while pre-92 senior lecturers on top of the scale and Academic Related grade 5’s will see their salaries increase to above £50,000 by the same time.
It is not everything but it is an achievement nonetheless. These increases are a combination of the impact of the MOU, and this year’s pay deal which increases pay points by more than 10% in 2006 and 2007, and provides for further negotiations in 2008.
In 2008, an independent review will ascertain what funding is available for pay. My strong view is that the union must be proactive in making the ca sot just that more money is available but also that universities need to shift some of their existing priorities to give staff a better deal.
The 2006 pay deal has been controversial but there is little doubt that the final settlement was around double what the employers wanted to pay and that it stands very favourable comparison with 2006 settlements for teachers (2.5%), doctors (2.4%) and FE lecturers (3% staged 2% plus 1%).
Dealing with a two tier pay system
There has been slower progress in agreeing the pay framework in post-92 institutions despite the best endeavours of NATFHE, AUT and now UCU negotiators and there is some evidence from a recent THES survey that a differential between average salaries is opening up.
The reasons why need to be explained and have their routes in the 204 AUT industrial action which NATFHE did not participate in.
AUT , under my leadership was the only union not accept the employer proposals. This was because, for AUT members, the new scale was longer, the value of increments smaller and the equal pay for academic related and academic staff broken.
We were able to establish the MOU which confirmed progress through the scales at the same rate, the linkage of academic related pay to that of academics and no detriment either in earnings or progression when transferred to the new scale.
Many members have now benefited from this but there are a whole range of institutions, mainly, in the post 92 sector which have not yet implemented the agreement and many of our members in the post 92 sector who are not protected by the MoU.
I believe we run a real risk of a two tier system between pre and post 92 institutions. The new union must stop seeing things through “AUT” or “NATFHE” eyes and come up with a UCU strategy that sets clear benchmarks for members salaries based on the best agreements.
What we do
This is what I believe the union should do next:
We must continue to negotiate where there is no agreement yet on the framework but set clear dates beyond which negotiation will be backed by industrial action
Establish again, the policy of public naming and shaming to our members and to the press, institutions who will not implement the new pay scales
Re assess bargaining tactics in all institutions where agreements are still outstanding and not be afraid to change strategy
Bring together the agreements from pre and post 92 institutions to share best practice and establish cross sector benchmarks
How we do it
To do this will require resources and good communication. I will
Ensure that all regional offices have sufficient staffing levels to support all higher education institution branches in negotiation
Set specific targets for implementation through negotiation followed by industrial action
Have a complete review of bargaining tactics to establish what works and make that available to all local negotiators
Review the administration at national level to establish whether our combined resources can be used more effectively to support members
Extend our current pay data base to be accessible to all members and clearly show the differing agreements and levels of pay between institutions
Re establish the informal briefings between national officials and local branch officers on industrial issues but particularly to provide skills and information to those on the front line
Through national negotiations establish a full review of the implementation and practicality of one pay spine covering porters to professors
The 2008 independent review of pay
At the same time we must set our sights on the implementation of the independent review exercise for the year 2008/9 establishing how this can be done in a way that leave s us confident that we are getting a true picture of university finances. , not hidden, will be crucial if we are to establish how to access funds for salary increases. That work is taking place now.
We must:
Ensure that the exercise is independent, funded sufficiently and totally independent
We must establish terms of reference for it which enable financial information to identify the real wealth of institutions
We must not agree to its establishment until we are content with how it is to be run
To do this I will push for:
Significant funding from the DFES to underpin it s work
A chairperson who know the sector well enough to establish objectivity
Take advice from ACAS to obtain the best terms of reference within it
Not agree to it unless I am content that in its form and funding, it can do the job so that we can trust its report
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About me
I am the joint general secretary of the UCU, having been general secretary of the Association of University Teachers since 2002. I have spent the majority of my working life supporting education professionals, and was instrumental in negotiating the merger between AUT and NATFHE to form UCU. If you want to know more about my experience go to my biography.
Join the debate
Nobody has all the answers. I believe that if we are to move forward together we have to listen to each other to establish common ground. If you have any comments about this paper or want to suggest ways of improving our union go to http://sallyhuntucu.blogspot.com/ and join the debate.
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