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?

Agree. Just crazy.

UCU and UNISON hve rejected the offer. Other unions discussing the offer.

https://www.ucea.ac.uk/news-releases/10july24/

No August uplift for us has just been confirmed. It will be backdated if they come to an agreement. This must be just to save face at this stage. How can UCU think there’s more money in the post when there are so many redundancy schemes across the sector and international student nos are not picking up.

For those of you in a union, has there been any correspondence explaining why it’s been rejected (other than “big bosses should pay more”)?

Sorry to read that. I'm expecting the same.

Yes, agree, our university is in cost saving mode and we had a voluntary redundancy scheme last year to help with that. We're by no means out of the woods. There isn't the money for any more without more cuts, which will be jobs given that's the biggest cost.

I'm not in the union (and therefore find it strange that they are able to affect me like this!) so I don't know what the rationale is after all this secret negotiating!

I'll try to answer the last questions as a UCU member who (very reluctantly) voted to reject the offer. UCEA took ages to actually make the offer and then tried to bounce our negotiators into recommending acceptance in an underhanded manner. At the time members were consulted (late June/early July) the offer hadn't actually been made because UCEA were trying to extract a promise to recommend acceptance with threat of a lower offer. I personally voted to avoid allowing this kind of tactic to succeed on principal (I can't speak for others). If the offer had been tabled in good time without this tactic I would probably have voted accept (even though it is not really a fair pay deal).

As for it being "strange that [UCU] are able to affect [non-union colleagues] like this": UCU and other JNCHES unions represent all staff in the collective bargaining agreements. If you don't like how things are handled either join the union and vote for people who will do it better or campaign to recognise a different union -- someone has to represent staff regardless and if you decline to take part in the process by which they're elected that's your choice.

Thanks @tiredcsresearcher

So what if they don’t come to an agreement? Is there a possibility we’ll get no uplift at all this year - does anyone know if this has ever happened before? I’ve only worked in HE for 2 years

In the past the employers have simply imposed their 'final offer' on us. However, I believe under new JNCHES dispute resolution procedure UCEA can't impose a resolution until the procedure is exhausted, so we won't hear about that until then.

"As for it being "strange that [UCU] are able to affect [non-union colleagues] like this": UCU and other JNCHES unions represent all staff in the collective bargaining agreements. If you don't like how things are handled either join the union and vote for people who will do it better or campaign to recognise a different union -- someone has to represent staff regardless and if you decline to take part in the process by which they're elected that's your choice."

I simply meant that in the private sector, my pay rise was a private matter between me and my manager. I find it strange that there is a 'someone' who represents all staff in this sector, when this doesn't happen in others. No more no less.

However, it's not as simple as just join the union, is it? It's expensive to join the union at a time that incomes are constantly eroded. The union doesn't have a good reputation of protecting staff (at my institution at least), in fact it appears to be a laughing stock, so I fail to see many benefits. And it's not as simple as 'declining to take part', I didn't opt out, the reality is I didn't choose to pay to opt in. And yes that's for me to put up with. Doesn't stop me finding it strange.

@alwayswantchocolate The current system doesn't work well, I agree, but there are many more problems with the individual bargaining that you appear to suggest. Some of which include:

• Individually, staff have far less bargaining power. While some might benefit, most staff would get a worse deal (also doesn't change finite resources.
• Pay rises go to the assertive and stubborn, passing over those who are less confrontational by nature (this would be to my benefit I suppose but still is unfair).
• Likely increase in pay inequality.

I absolutely see why you would avoid the union, but it's a vicious cycle -- disengagement causes worse outcomes which cause further disengagement. If we want to be able to change things for the better, we have to actively engage in spite of it. Also like I said, doesn't have to be UCU in particular but we have to work together

Did anyone see this: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/ucu-union-staff-announce-continuous-strike-action

I am not sure if this is section wide, or just at Goldsmiths? https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13686/Continuous-strike-action-announced-at-Goldsmiths

Can anyone explain what this will entail? Surely people cannot afford to strike continuously without pay? Is this really a good idea in a time of redundancy sin the sector?

I can't read the article, but is this not about UCU staff (rather than members) going on strike in their ongoing dispute with UCU?

Yes! It’s such a well run union that its own staff have a serious issue about racism in the workplace.

I’ve been a member of the relevant union for my job since 1985, but I resigned from this lot of clowns at UCU last year.

Ah, I was confused. Not a good look for them though if their own staff go on strike as well.

Worth noting that the proposed and lauded 2.5% offer isn't actually anywhere near that for most people. The 900 initial phase lasts until March. So, for me personally I get something like 1.75% raise for 7 months of the year, followed by an uptick to 2.5% for the final 5. In the 12 months August to August, the true pay increase on my salary is fractionally above 2%. RPI is at 2.9% so this is another real terms reduction in pay. UCEA are fantastic at trying to pull a fast one on their staff, utterly shameful

From what I have read the dispute resolution meetings are supposed to be happening over August. Has anyone heard anything?

I don't think all the unions have voted down the offer yet so it may be a while before the dispute meeting dates are final. I don't imagine it will make a difference when we come to it - the employers won't budge and UCU will reject any incremental advance on 2.5%, so an imposed uplift and yet more industrial action to come I suspect. Today's 5.5% pay increase for teachers will not do anything to help UCEA convince their employees that their offer is a fair one despite obvious financial pressures on the sector. Just waiting now for the first uni to declare insolvency and then the house of cards will come tumbling - I'm quite afraid where that will leave us as an academy

On the Unite-UCU dispute, most UCU members are extremely disappointed in HQ for not resolving it (e.g. https://www.ucu.org.uk/article/13587/Congress-2024-Business-of-the-strategy-and-finance-committee motions B18/B31 at congress sending solidarity to Unite were carried). Only makes it more important to engage and vote the 'clowns' out of office.

No word on the pay dispute meetings yet other than that they're taking place in August.

I can't disagree with @MintPeer 's assessment, unless the government miraculously decides to step up and actually fund higher education sustainably.

As a UNISON member working in PS I received a consultation email yesterday and have until 3rd September to respond.

@Greenbather on the pay offer or is it related to the dispute process?

My memory might be faulty but wasn’t there a pay round where some of the unions accepted it and others (UCU) didn’t? So UCU could be triggering the dispute resolution process on its own behalf without involving the others?

I find the process very opaque and uncertain.

@ghislaine UCU and Unison recommended reject, but the other unions will also participate in dispute resolution talks. No union to my knowledge has actually accepted, just some have not recommended rejection.

Thanks for the clarification, @tiredcsresearcher . Looks like I’ll be waiting a long time for any money then. On the bright side, I guess we are safe from industrial action until that process is over.

Update, EIS has joined UCU and Unison in recommending reject, and dispute meetings are scheduled for 19th and 22nd September.

Unfortunately that means we're unlikely to hear anything of substance for the next month.

Ironically, the GMB statement I had based my last message on had a typo: it should have read "August", so the meetings happened last week.

This is the update I had from GMB yesterday:

“HE Trade Unions and UCEA yesterday completed the meetings under the new JNCHES Dispute Resolution Procedure for the pay negotiations of the 2024-25 negotiating round following two days of intense discussions.UCEA has committed to write to the unions with its final offer next week.

The trade unions will consider the employers’ offer and both parties will then discuss next steps.”

Am fully expecting a strike ballot, given recent public sector pay rises and UCU’s refusal to acknowledge the financial crisis in HE.