2. HE Pay Consultation 2018/19 Why you should reject the offer
Welcome to this UNISON member’s meeting which is being held as part of the higher education pay consultation.

3. Main points This is a real terms pay cut
- Inflation is higher than the 2% offer
We have had years of below inflation pay rises
Our pay claim was much higher than the offer
We want to ‘catch up’ for the lost years.
So we should reject the offer
UNISON’s national Higher Education Service Group Executive is recommending rejecting the employers offer for these four main reasons.
This is a real terms pay cut. Even the government’s favoured measure of inflation called the CPI - which is lower than other measures - is more than 2%
Whilst this pay offer is more than recent years - our pay claim was significantly higher this year, because we wanted more money to catch up for the losses that have built up as a result of previous below inflation pay offers.
As the employers offer is near our claim we are recommending that members vote yes to reject the offer.

4. National Pay Negotiations
Negotiated between:
Five unions – UNISON, UCU, Unite, GMB, EIS & the employers: Universities Colleges Employers Association (UCEA)
Joint negotiating body called: New JNCHES (Joint National Committee for Higher Education)
Held 3 negotiating meetings: March - May
The 5 recognised trade unions, UNISON, UCU, EIS, UNITE and GMB negotiate with representatives from the employers under a nationally agreed framework – this is called New JNCHES.
In March the unions submitted a joint trade union pay claim to the UCEA (University Colleges Employer Association) who represent university employers.
A series of negotiating meetings with trade union side and employer representatives took place between March and May This year 3 meetings were held.

5. Joint Unions’ Pay Claim
7.5% or £1,500 whichever is greater
£10 an hour minimum wage
Framework to close gender pay gap
Framework on precarious contracts
Payment to recognise excessive workloads
Scottish sub-committee
The joint union pay claim had these main elements - a significant pay increase of 7.5% or £1,500 whichever is the greatest and a £10 minimum wage. This was to ensure that all staff got a decent rise and so that staff in the lowest grades would be paid above the ‘Real Living Wage’.
We were also interested in tackling the ongoing gender pay gap and sort out problems for staff on ‘precarious contracts’ such as short term or zero hours contracts.
We are also very aware that with increased staff numbers and in many places reduced staffing, that workloads are becoming unbearable.
And we wanted to set up a specific sub-committee for universities in Scotland, which is allowed for in the new JNCHES constitution. However the employers have told us that Scottish employers dont want a separate committee

6. Employers’ Final Offer
One year deal
£425 or 2% (whichever is greater)
£425 on bottom point = 2.7%
For all staff on national pay scales
2% on London weighting
Gender pay gap – working group
Joint sector-level review of casual employment
During the three negotiating meetings, we were able to raise their initial pay offer
However eventually they made a final offer summarised in this slide:
A basic increase of 2% for most people with a £425 underpinning, which represents 2.7% for the lowest paid.
They also proposed some joint work on some of the issues we raised

7. All measures of inflation are above the employers offer
RPI (our favoured inflation measure) = 3.3% for May 2018
CPI (governments favoured measure) = 2.3% for May 2018
All inflation measures expected to stay stay above 2% and RPI much higher
The employers offer does not match up to price increases.
All measures of inflation are above the pay offer – even the governments favoured measure – CPI or the Consumer Price Index.
Our favoured inflation measure – RPI – or the Retail Price Index - includes housing costs, which is one of the reasons it is higher than CPI

8. UNISON will continue to campaign for the Real Living Wage for all
‘Real’ living wage – currently
- £8.75 per hour (£10.20 London)
Government ‘national living wage’ 7.83
- Under 25’s ‘national minimum wage’ 7.38
Employers offer would mean :
- £8.21 per hour for 37 hour week
- £8.68 for 35 hour week
UNISON will continue to campaign for the Real Living Wage for all
Our claim was for £10 an hour which is above the ‘Real’ Living Wage.
The Real Living Wage is set by the Living Wage Foundation and unlike the Government’s much lower version is set independently and at a level which provides for the minimum that employees need to live on.
We wanted £10 an hour, not just because we think low paid staff deserve it, but also because the Real Living Wage will be increased in November this year.

9. Employers offer – other points
Further work on gender pay
- we welcome this
Proposed joint review of casual employment
- is a start but not as good as it could be
Workload
- disappointed they will not discuss nationally
JNCHES Scottish sub committee
- cant understand why they wont agree to meet
The employers offer also included work on some of the other issues we raised.
We are also pleased that they agreed to do further work on gender pay and we will pursue this.
They did not go as far as we would have liked on trying to tackle the scourge of precarious contracts. They have only agreed to do a ‘review of casual employment’.
They did not want to pay an additional amount to recognise increased workloads or do any national work on workloads – their view is that this is an issue to be addressed at local institutional level.
They also said that the Scottish HE employers did not want to set up a Scottish committee, but would continue to work with their unions at an institutional level

10. UNISON’s Recommendation
UNISON’s HESGE agreed to consult members with a recommendation that they reject the pay offer
UNISON’s 2018 HE Conference voted to recommend rejection of any offer if the unions’ pay claim was not met
Employers’ final offer is much lower than the unions’ claim.
Recent years - a series of below inflation pay rises.
Increasingly difficult for HE support staff to make ends meet.
The HESGE calls on the employers to improve their offer
UNISON’s HESGE considered the employers offer and took into account a decision made at this years UNISON HE national conference.
This decision said that the HESGE should reject the offer if it did not meet the joint unions claim.
As the employers’ offer is well short of this the HESGE agreed to recommend that members reject the offer and called on the employers to improve their offer.

11. What does reject mean?
If members reject the offer in this consultation ballot - by a significant majority
The HESGE will request a full industrial action ballot
If it confirms the rejection & meets legal threshold we will seek co-ordinated & escalating industrial action with other unions in line with UNISON rules
UNISON practice and HE conference policy is to conduct a consultative ballot of members when a final pay offer has been made and before we move to a full industrial action ballot.
This allows us to judge the mood of members and whether they are prepared to take action to improve the offer. A full industrial action ballot is highly legally restricted and very costly, so we need to be sure that members are ready and willing.
It is important that we get a good turnout in the consultation and that a vote for rejection is clear - as recent Trade Union law now means we can only take strike action if we get a 50% turnout in any full industrial action ballot.
If we get a ‘yes to reject’ in both ballots and we get a high enough turnout we will seek to co-ordinate lawful industrial action - in conjunction with fellow higher education trade unions - with a clear plan for escalating lawful industrial action to strengthen the campaign.
Such action may start at 1 or 2 days and then increase as the dispute progresses. The elected representatives on the Higher Education Service Group Executive will agree the strategy for any industrial dispute

12. Other Unions
UCU, Unite and EIS are all consulting members and recommending rejection
GMB is consulting with members on the basis that it is ‘the best that can be achieved by negotiation.
Most of the other unions are consulting their members and recommending that their members reject and so there is potential for joint action if all unions go ahead.
Only the GMB is taking a different line

13. Next steps
UNISON branches need to consult with members/ensure members vote.
Your branch is conducting a ballot
HESGE will consider results and decide on next steps
Members will be notified of the result
HESGE recommends - vote YES TO REJECT
We need to you and all union members to vote in this consultation and send a clear message to the employers that we want a higher offer.
The HESGE will be meeting in early August to consider the results.
That’s why the HESGE is recommending members vote ‘yes to reject’

14. More information Website: unison/org.uk/HEpay2018
Facebook: UNISONinHigherEducation
Twitter: @UNISONinHE
More information will be available from these places:
Any questions?