Moves to implement the most dramatic reform of lecturers' pay and careers for decades faced potential collapse at more than 80 post-1992 universities and colleges this week as lecturers' union Natfhe said it was poised to pull out of the national deal over a local dispute at Bournemouth University.
Natfhe is committed by a motion passed at its annual conference in May to boycott the implementation of the historic 2004 framework agreement on pay at every university where it has members if Bournemouth "imposes a detrimental version of the agreement" and pushes staff onto "inferior local contracts", as expected.
After crisis talks at Bournemouth this week ended without significant movement, Natfhe national official Andy Pike said: "We're close to the edge. We wish we didn't have to do this, but we don't feel we have an option."
Mr Pike said that if the union was forced to pull out of the deal across the sector, the framework agreement that has been several years in the making will essentially be "dead in the water".
Moves to put all university staff from porters to professors on a single national pay spine, and to ensure equal pay for work of equal value, will be scuppered. It could lead to the collapse of national bargaining and result in a local free-for-all.
Natfhe said that the version of the national pay framework that Bournemouth wants to implement would leave senior lecturers £1,300 a year worse off, with principal lecturers losing £6,000.
It said that the university also planned to put staff on a new local contract that gives staff worse terms and conditions than the national contract at post-1992 universities where staff are represented by Natfhe.
Natfhe said the new contract would remove upper limits on teaching time, cut staff annual leave by five days and remove all entitlements to time for research and scholarly activity.
Natfhe said Bournemouth vice-chancellor Gillian Slater would not be swayed.
"She's firm on the local contract," said Mr Pike. "They're fully aware of the consequences and the damage it will do to the sector but they're still going ahead."
Mr Pike said that the university was offering staff the "inducement" of extra pay reserved for staff transferring to the pay framework to sign up to the new local contract. He said that as soon as letters go out to staff inviting them to switch contracts, the university will be in breach of the Employment Relations Act, which states that union members must not receive inducements to leave negotiated terms of employment.
A spokeswoman for Bournemouth said: "Bournemouth University does not believe Natfhe's interpretation of the law. Discussions with Natfhe are ongoing and the university expects local negotiations to continue. Indeed, arrangements are being made for future meetings to cover a number of issues.
"Bournemouth University believes its proposed pay structure for academic staff is a good one which will be accepted by the majority, when it is put to them."
Jocelyn Prudence, chief executive of the Universities and Colleges Employers' Association, said: "This is an over-the-top response (by Natfhe) to a local difference of opinion. It is best not to speculate on the national implications at this stage, but we hope both sides at Bournemouth make good progress in their talks."