Current Students and Staff

// University News

30 Mar 2016

Pay negotiations 2016/17

The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) and the higher education trade unions, which include UCU, UNISON and Unite, met on 22 March as New JNCHES (the Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff) for the first of the three agreed meetings of the HE pay negotiating round for 2016/17.

The unions submitted a joint claim on 11 March, which included a 5% increase to all points on the 51-point pay spine plus a range of additional pay and pay-related elements.

The employers have made an initial offer of 1% to all spine points, which is 0.7% ahead of the current rate of inflation at 0.3%. The offer would bring the hourly-rate on the lowest pay spine point to well above the National Living Wage.

The trade unions’ claim also seeks further joint employer and trade union work on the gender pay gap and on HEIs’ approaches to casual staff employment. UCEA and the trade unions are currently working together on two pieces of joint work on the gender pay gap and casual employment as a result of the 2015-16 pay settlement.

The next New JNCHES meeting will be held on 28 April.

Further information on the negotiations is available on the UCEA website