Pay rises for UK university staff on hold amid strike considerations

Despite talks earlier this year which agreed to raise the pay of many university staff, some may now have to wait for this rise as unions consider strikes.

Annual talks earlier this year between unions and The University and College Employers’ Association (UCEA) resulted in employers offering UK university staff a pay rise of two per cent, calling the offer “full and final” and warning that the “challenging financial backdrop” continues.

Yet despite this pay rise expected to take effect from 1 August, the delivery of the rise has now been slowed as unions dispute the offer and consider industrial action.

One of the most prominent university staff unions, The University and College Union (UCU), has firmly rejected the offer with 69.3 per cent of the UCU’s electronic ballot turnout rejecting the UCEA’s two per cent pay offer.

60.2 per cent went on to say they were willing to participate in industrial action to improve the offer. The UCU’s higher education committee is expected to meet on the 9th October to decide on next steps.

Questions remain amongst staff in the sector as to whether strike action could result in higher pay offers

The UCEA, responsible for making pay rise offers, has since responded to such disputes and rejections of the offer. Raj Jethwa, Chief Executive, has called the results of the ballots “disappointing, though not unexpected”.

Jethwa went on to say that Higher Education employers “genuinely wish they would afford a higher pay award” but noted the challenging financial pressures the higher education sector is under and that the position has worsened since the offer was made in May.

The future of pay rises for UK university staff is one of uncertainty as unions dispute the 2 per cent pay lift offered by the UCEA, with decisions of industrial action not expected to take place until October.

Ballots across unions indicate a growing pattern within the sector that university staff are becoming increasingly willing to strike to improve pay conditions, signalling that this may continue into next years pay offer too with some higher education unions demanding an almost seven per cent pay rise.

With the sector and employers citing increasing financial pressures, questions remain amongst staff in the sector as to whether strike action could result in higher pay offers and staff and students consider what implications this might have.