Loughborough University is one of 138 higher education institutions represented by the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), which negotiates national pay agreements with the recognised higher education trade unions on behalf of its members.
On 15 May, UCEA and the higher education trade unions met for the third and final meeting of the Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (JNCHES) for the 2026–27 pay round. At this meeting, UCEA made its Full and Final offer, proposing a 2% increase on all pay spine points, to take effect from 1 August 2026.
So far, EIS and UNISON have rejected the pay offer, while GMB, UCU and Unite are still consulting with their members before responding.
Once UCEA has received responses from all five unions, it will begin the formal dispute resolution process, with meetings expected to take place during August.
As a result, it won't be possible to implement any pay increase from 1 August 2026 while the national negotiations and any subsequent dispute resolution are ongoing.
As in previous years, we expect that any agreed pay award will be backdated once a final agreement has been reached. We'll provide a further update as soon as the national process has concluded and we know what the next steps will be.