Members have accepted the 2% pay offer from employers from August 2014, and have also ended the dispiute over the 1% offer for 2013.   The ballot produced a 4-1 majority in favour of acceptance, though here in Bath the result was closer with less than a 2-1 majority in favour of settling now.  This is probably a reflection of the much worse terms and conditions faced by staff working in Bath than at other universities, and the Bath branch committee has committed to continuing the campaign to improve local terms and conditions.

Your local committee would like to thank you for your support throughout this dispute.   We’ve had questions about the outcome of the ballot and the end of the dispute and would make the following points: Continue reading →

Employers have made a 2% pay offer and UCU’s HE Committee have decided we will be consulted electronically about it.

Your local branch committee recommends rejection of this offer for four main reasons:

* it does not address our claim from last year. Employers imposed a 1% award, even though inflation was running at more than twice that level
* it does nothing to redress the 13% real terms reduction in the value of our pay since 2009
* the money is still there to make a significantly better offer than this. Bath made a surplus of £16 million last year. 1% on staff costs would amount to just over £1 million for the year. Most other universities are in a similar financial position.
* the threat of a marking boycott has forced some movement from the employers. We should continue to press until we get a fair pay offer.

Interesting piece by Des Freedman (Goldsmiths UCU) on why the pay deal is a pay cut

100 SU officers back marking boycott

Why postgrad GTAs should support the marking boycott

Postal workers secure 3.9% from April 2014