Unite rejects UCEA’s 'poor pay' offer
18th August 2009
Thousands of education workers employed in higher education have
overwhelmingly voted to reject the Universities and Colleges
Employers Association (UCEA) pay offer of 0.5 per cent.
Unite, the UK’s largest union, says this is unacceptable and has
condemned the offer as a 'poor pay' deal. The employers’ failure to
negotiate on job security and the redundancy avoidance agreement
were additional reasons why the offer was rejected.
UCEA has refused to negotiate such an agreement, despite the
rising number of redundancies in the sector.
The bottom grade pay increase is worth only £65 per year, which
after tax and deductions comes to less than £1 (per week) for some
of the low paid staff working in universities and colleges.
The consultative ballot resulted in a resounding 83 per cent
voting to reject the offer.
Mike Robinson, Unite national officer for education, said: “The
national university pay offer of 0.5 per cent is not enough. It is
worth less than a packet of crisps a day. Unite members want proper
job security and a redundancy avoidance agreement, not an
insecurity charter in universities where students expect a first
class service not a third class degree."
Unite has written to the UCEA seeking an urgent meeting in line
with the agreed dispute procedure.
ENDS
For further information, please contact Mike Robinson on 07768
931 284 or Mark Di-Toro in the Unite press office on 07918 640
579
Notes:
Unite has around 30,000 members in the sector covering a variety
of roles such as academic related staff, senior researchers and
technicians as well as administrators, clerical, skilled, estates,
domestic and security staff.
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