Employers drop service condition

A CONCESSION by university employers has created a glimmer of hope for a New Year settlement to the pay dispute.

The Universities and Colleges Employers Association met representatives of the eight higher education unions last Thursday. It agreed to withdraw one of the conditions tied to its latest offer.

The unions welcomed the withdrawal of the UCEA's insistence that conditions of service are moved from national to local level. But the association refused to concede any ground on other pay award conditions such as strike pay deductions, set at one 1/260th of annual earnings, or unions' participation in job evaluation.

David Triesman, chief executive of the Association of University Teachers, said that the concession, while small, was positive. He said: "There is a feeling that we are making progress very slowly. Two major sticking points remain: the dating of any pay award from April 1 this year and the employer's new two-year pay deal."

The new offer was made to the unions at a meeting held at the Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service a fortnight ago. The employers improved on the existing 1.5 per cent offer to academics by proposing a 5 per cent increase over two years. The unions rejected the new offer.

The AUT is preparing to ballot members on disrupting the examinations process, possibly using a marking boycott. Ballot papers go out on January 10 and the ballot closes on January 21.

Steve Rouse, chief UCEA executive, said: "We are willing to consider a restructuring of the new offer as long as we are talking about a two-year deal." A further meeting at ACAS has been arranged for January 10.

Employers and unions have agreed to set up an independent commission on pay. This should report in the spring and will be submitted to the Dearing inquiry.