universities - nottingham attack on staff
WORKERS, OCT 2004 ISSUE
Nottingham University is refusing to honour its commitment to negotiate a pay and grading settlement in line with the March 2004 national agreement between national university employers and the Association of University Teachers (AUT). Its latest offer introduces performance- related pay for staff, would lead to reductions in career earnings of nearly £9,000 over six years for some and for others would remove the entitlement to belong to the national university pension scheme.
Now Nottingham's vice-chancellor is proposing to introduce new grading arrangements for academic and research staff, without any negotiation with their union, the AUT.
Responding to the university's plans, Nottingham AUT secretary Mike Byrne explained, "AUT nationally has signed up to an agreement (the National Framework Agreement) which provides for substantial changes to pay and grading for our profession. One of the fundamental principles of the Framework Agreement is that all changes to pay and grading arrangements are to be negotiated... It is clear the university is now seeking to implement new pay and grading arrangements for academic and research staff without the involvement of AUT."
The employer has until 20 September to get back into serious negotiations before a threatened boycott takes effect.
Malcolm Keight, AUT deputy general secretary, told the employer, "AUT strongly objects to your intention to implement new pay and grading arrangements for this group of staff without negotiating and agreeing these with AUT. We are extremely disappointed that the university has taken this route given our recent offers to engage in genuine negotiations to address the concerns of academic and related staff."