Union up in arms over lump sums

Edinburgh University has backed off from a scheme to reward academics with £1,250 lump sums in the wake of widespread opposition from the local Association of University Teachers.

General meetings called by the Edinburgh AUT demanded a moratorium on introducing the scheme, arguing that it had not been properly negotiated and smacked of patronage. Alan Walker, president of Edinburgh AUT, said the union considered lump sums to be part of conditions of service, and should therefore have been negotiated. Instead, the AUT had been notified by email that they were to be introduced.

"We believe it's an affront," Mr Walker said. The one-off payments were not superannuable and so did not augment pensions, he added. "This is a move away from recurrent payment to a lump sum. We want staff to be paid properly," he said.

But an Edinburgh University spokeswoman said the lump sums were not intended to replace existing pay and benefits, but were in addition to them.