UK universities told to implement 2% staff pay rise despite union rejection

Universities in the UK have been told to implement their 2% pay offer despite rejection by the sector’s five unions.

In May, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) offered a 2% pay increase to staff amid what it described as a “challenging financial backdrop“.

However, multiple unions that represent university staff, such as the University and College Union (UCU) and Unison, have been campaigning for a 3% rise on top of the Retail Prices Index (RPI). This equated to around a 7% rise in total.

Despite attempted negotiations within the New Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (JNCHES), UCEA has told universities to proceed with the 2% increase.

The decision came on 2 October 2026, after months of delay and negotiation.

UCEA Chief Executive Raj Jethwa said: “A 2% pay uplift has been delayed for more than two months now and, while it clearly does not reflect the true value employers place on staff, it is unfortunately the best we can offer given the severity of the financial pressures facing the sector.”

UCU members will be rightly disappointed about another below inflation pay offer being enforced by the employer

Jo Grady, General Secretary of UCU

Jo Grady, General Secretary of UCU, said: “UCU members will be rightly disappointed about another below inflation pay offer being enforced by the employer.”

She criticised many higher education institutions for “ripping the heart out of the sector with reckless and short-sighted redundancies and course closures”, adding that “this further erosion of pay is indicative of a sector on the brink”.

Grady said that the government “must step in immediately before the situation becomes beyond repair”.

The offer also includes a joint review of the national pay spine, which Jethwa described as a “testing commitment for both sides.”