2024/25 New JNCHES

[AlltheFs]

Does anyone know why the pay negotiations are so quiet this year? No updates since mid May that I can see and no offer tabled?

And for those of us full time, we’d just do more unpaid overtime.

Well its Friday and still no update - I'm going to be leaving the union they constantly disappoint !

Maybe today? Other UCEA posts have been on Fridays.

Latest non-update, not exactly sounding like much progress has been made:

On 26 June we concluded the final meeting of the New JNCHES pay round for 2024-25. We will upload the final offer next week. The trade unions are all then looking to make final decision during the week beginning 8 July following their individual meetings (UCU’s HEC, for example, meets on 5 July). We regard this as the last week in which a settlement can be reached. We will then know whether we can advise HEIs to implement the uplift or if we have to arrange dispute meetings – a formal option in the New JNCHES process that must be exhausted before any decision is taken regarding implementation.

No doubt UCU will be balloting for industrial action in due course.

I'm glad I found this thread, I've been thinking for months "why is it so quiet on the pay front"? Usually there's lots of drum banging and complaining and we get to see the pay offers from the employers. Very odd.

I’ve also been worried about the lack of comms this year - I suspect they will use the gov policy on overseas students as an excuse not to offer anything decent - even though some of the larger Universities could definitely afford more. They may even be delaying the offer announcement until after the election but usually a low 2% offer means they might push up to around 3% and tell as all to be grateful

Usually there's lots of drum banging and complaining and we get to see the pay offers from the employers. Very odd.

Well, the UCU is involved in a dispute with its own employees who are alleging (with evidence) of racist discrimination in UCU head office.

And maybe - well I can hope! - they are just a wee bit ashamed about how badly the strikes went and how little they achieved.

Update posted here:

www.ucea.ac.uk/our-work/collective-pay-negotiations-landing/2024-25-new-jnches-pay-round/

"On 3 July UCEA wrote to the five trade unions sharing the final offer and revised Terms of Reference (ToRs) on the proposed joint work (see below). UCEA also issued a media release HE pay round meetings completed for 2024-25 with a phased 2.5% to 5.7% uplift."

Final offer details here:

www.ucea.ac.uk/our-work/collective-pay-negotiations-landing/2024-25-new-jnches-pay-round/final-offer-letter-3-july-2024

Lord. £900?!

Thank you NCNC4 for sharing the link.

Worse than I imagined! Doesn't come close to covering the increase in my essential outgoings, yet again. Interesting read though, especially the real value of tuition fees since 2012.

Tbh, I wasn’t expecting any breakthrough on pay. It’s risible, but it is something.

What I thought made for interesting reading was the number of issues UCU had brought to the table that UCEA had no remit over. I wonder if that’s why there were six meetings rather than three.

Why on earth are they proposing to pay it in installments?! Normally we get the full uplift applied in the August payroll!

Didn’t we get the last uplift in installments? Perhaps it’s to prematurely save costs as some people due to receive the second instalment will have been made redundant by the time it comes to be implemented.

I think last time some people actually got some early i.e. Feb 2023 and August 2023 rather than all in August 2023.

This is giving us some on time and some late, I think!

oh yes @SheilaFentiman, I had forgotten that. We got ours according to that timetable at my place. Can't say I noticed a big difference in my take-home pay at either juncture!

Another web link

https://www.ucea.ac.uk/news-releases/3july24/

So, to get 5.7%, you would have to be in your first year as Lecturer A? Hardly much of a cost to the sector is it?

I'm all for increasing the lower salaries proportionally more than the higher ones but It does amuse me how the figures are flagged as significant.

The vast majority of academics will be above spline point 38 (or whatever it is) and eligible for only 2.5%. In my department, I doubt anybody was appointed at Lecturer A and only 5% at Lecturer B.

So in news precisely no-one was unexpecting, UCU has rejected the pay offer and the parties will now proceed to the dispute resolution process with the spectre of industrial action looming in the background. UCU also states that it's committed to the Four Fights.

www.ucu.org.uk/article/13656/UCU-update-on-higher-education-pay-negotiations-and-strategy

While I am in Unison, this is disappointing news. We are already in a fragile situation and this threatens it further. Nothing as far as I can see from Unison

Ugh. Good luck - it smacks of fiddling while Rome burns from the perspective of working in the arts & humanities. All around us, departments are being slashed or closed - look at what's happening at Goldsmiths ...

I'm not disputing that academic salaries AND working conditions need an thorough overhaul. But now is not the time - and ceratinlynot with the current UCU exec, who don't seem to be able to negotiate their way out of a paper bag.

So what happens while they go through the ‘dispute resolution process’? Our pay remains stagnant? I’d rather have a 2% uplift now in August and then potentially more to come later than nothing at all now!

Also what about those of us who don’t belong to a union? I’m support staff/admin so not an academic. Feels a bit odd that the unions are fighting on behalf of people like me who don’t even belong to them?

I’m fairly new to the sector so still don’t fully understand all this, sorry!

Im not in a union either (and I’m in professional services, not an academic) and i find it an odd approach too!

I’ve seen it work both ways in my time in the sector. The scenario of waiting for those involved to reach an agreement and then getting whatever it is back dated, and more recently being paid the original offer when expected with the promise of back dating any extra if the union is successful in increasing the offer (in this scenario they never seem to negotiate an increase, its like the employers know they’re not going to budge!). The approach may vary by employer of course…

With VES and CR all around then I cannot see how UCU striking will improve anything. I would rather get £900 than nothing. They are still campaigning for a resolution on 2022 pay and that appears to have come to nothing.

They are still campaigning on the 22-23 pay round? This is beyond delusional.