Press Release

Unions Seek To End Low Pay & Unequal Pay In Higher Education

11 January 2006

The unions representing support and professional staff (Amicus GMB, T&G and UNISON) in the Higher EducationSector met with UCEA the employers yesterday afternoon to discuss pay for 2006/7.

The unions made it clear that they were looking for a settlement that would benefit all staff in the sector, recognising that additional resources are being made available to HEIs across the UK*. It was impressed on the employers that there is both actual and relative low pay across the sector and that major issues remain about equal pay and equalities. Unions also made it clear that any pay increase should be made on a national basis and should be agreed by all parties to JNCHES.

Support staff unions were interested in pursuing meaningful negotiations with the employers, subject to receiving encouraging signals from the employers that additional funds would be re-invested in staff.

The employers were able to give assurances that they would not agree separate deal for different parties and that they wanted to make a common agreement.

The employers offered to circulate the PTAAS unions initial pay statement to their subscribing organisations and to meet with the unions again a month later to give a considered response.

The support staff unions will working on finalising their pay claim for 2006/7 and will be looking to continue the discussion with the employers.

Richard Ascough, GMB Regional Secretary and a member of the staff side said:

“Low pay and unequal pay continues to be a major problem in universities.  At this time we are not balloting for industrial action but we do expect to have meaningful negotiations with the employers on using part of any additional funding in the sector to address these serious issues.”

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