Special Supplement: A T ACTIO
20-1-89
The current national AUT action on examinations is obvioWlly a matter of great concern. ThiB special Comment supplement 8eU out the national A T and C CP statements to give members of staff background information on the iuues involved. Report COSl more lhan UOlverSllles could afford. Part of it has lud 10 be paid for by utting staff numbers.
FROM THE CVCP AS PUBLISHED 3/1/8Y
UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC A 0 ACADEMIC RELATEO
STAFF SALARIES I
1989
A datement by the University Authorities Panel and lhe Committee of Vice-Chancellors and PrincipalB
6 For next year (1')'691<)0) both sides made a determined ellort to p~r~uad~ the Government to arrest the decl1ne in JI.:JUCI1lIC rJy. In June this year the CVCP and AUT submitted J JUllIl CJ~e for new funds. The case: - chJrted the relative dedine in earnings - wJr.ned that academic pay was again becoming uncompetitIve .
SALARY DECLINE
1. CVCP and UAP are concerned at the continuing dcdlOe in the value of salaries for academic staff which is endangering the ability to recruit, retain and motivate excellen t staff. 2. In February 1987 agreement was reached on the Twenty-
third Report of Committee A which provided increases of
- pointed to superior pay and conditions in foreian ulUversitics and research establishments - showed how academics had fallen behind even the civil service - stn:ssed that recruitmen t and retention problems would become widespread - included the results of the Joint survey of recruitment and retention problems
16% from 1 December 1986 7% from 1 March 1988
so that during the three years begInnmg I A prll I'} 6 <lnd ending on 31 March 1989 the pay of a adenllcs hJS gone up by about 8% a year. This has just about kept pace with lhe growth in earnings in the economy but has done nothing 10 improve the relative pay of academics which now slands at less than 80% of its value a decade ago. RESOURCES COMMITTED TO 1988/89 3. In the Twenty-third Report both ~Ides IIl,HJe It dedr that the additional Government funding was not sufficient and called for more funds for an increase in 1988/89. The Employers stressed that they had committed all the resoun.:es aVJilable up to and including 1988/89. The AUT whilst shOWIng every sign of understanding this nevertheless said they would submit pay claim. The relevant passage from the Twenty-third Report is:
a
'The University Authorities Panel stres~e~ lhal lhe proposals exhaust the funds presently availahle for sdlJry Increases in the financial years 1986/117 to 19 18Y, will Jffecl resoun.:e allocations within universities and no further ml.:reJ~e~ I.:ould be afforded from 1 April 1988 unless new funds .... ere rnJde available for salary increases'. 4. Despite the joint request lhc Governmenl Uld nOl prOVIde more funds for pay in I <)88/89 so no ml.:rea~e In pJy I~ POS~I ble. The money has already been spen l.
5. The Government did provide addlllonJI funds for 'rc~lruct uring' (£155 million over three years ~tartmg m 1'I1l1l/1l9). This has enabled universities to meet the cost of slaff rel.!ul.:tions, through premature retirement, which werc Oldde nel.:cssary because, even with Government help, th~ Twenty-thud
SALARIES IN 1989 7. ('ollowing the Chancellors' Autumn Statement and the corresponding statement by the Secretary of State for Education and Science it is clear that a salary increase can be afforded in 19'69/90. However, the iiS~Cl.\Sment of UAP and CVCP is that the fund~ to be mdde available for general expenditure including expenditure on salaries fall well short of the level of inn.t;on expel.:ted by I April 19119. Indeed they may amount to only about half the sum required. 8. A salary increase at the level implied will not enable universities to recruit, retain and motivate excellent staff. Therefore It has been decided to make a new approach to the Government for additional funds for salaries. 9. I t will enhance the possibilities for success of this new approal.:h if it indudes new salary structure proposals, agreed by both sides, and designed to enhance the ability of institutions to respond to particular recruitment and retention problems. Proposals of this kind are being explored with A UT representatives in urgent discussions.
10. The aIm of the UAP and CVCP is to gain sufficient funds for average earnings to flse to the same extent as elsewhere In the economy ie by about 9%. This earnings increase would be made up of a number of components including a general ~dlJry Incrca~e but also including advancement for some indiViduals and groups in response to particular local needs. I I. A 11 of this work is being undertaken very energetically wHh the object of ensuring that the matter is settled not later than the end ot March 1989. -continued ovcrp.,e
Special Supplement:
T
CTIO
20-1-89
obviowl a matter of great concern. hiB pecial Comment he current national eT action on e;\.aminatio supplement set out the national. eT and C\ CP tatements to gi\'e member of staff background information on the iasues involved.
FROMTHEJA
ARY
')>\
r
HULLETI
Qv.路..., "Are you prepared to withdraw entirely from p&rtioipation in any part of ~ examination process (includina' the admj n i strati ve pl'OOB88 which SUpports it) in univenity institutions and to retuae to cover the work of &nybody who h&s 80
wi1hdrawnr Number voting
YBS
11,369 (68.89%)
Number voting
NO
6,628
(33.11%)
TOTAL: (100%)
UT has decided to take coli t ve actIon against university employers. The CoIllIlllttee of VICeChancellors and PnnClpalS (CVCP) and the Uruverslty Authorities Pane (CAP) have sIurked their responSibility to staif. They expect government to proVlde funding for an Increase to contlIlgent on further restruct nng December council agreed that negotla路 tlOns would now have to be supported by membership actIOn. No union could have Wlshed less to be forced into this situatIOn. We have done everything we can to aVOId It. We have negot.ul.ted for eleven months Without
A
s cce ow. members ha e given an eq \' sign that they WI no longer d.(,'Cept the vice-chancel ors' prean ton Yo r negotiators are pursumg two c ear obJectives. first, an acceptable tt ement for 19 889. and second, reement Wlth the CVC? on a satisfactory t metable for negotiating a settlement for 1989 90 We have so far been unab e to move the CVC? on either objective The cvcp' approach throughout has been condmoned by what the leastwell-off unl verSltles cou Id afford There have been lengthy dlBcUSBlons and on several occasIOns the UAP seemed ready to make progress They kept tel 109 us how bad salary leve s were and how much they wanted to lIDprove them They agreed on the need to recrwt the best staff, the need for competitive levels to attract good people. and the need for the nght conditIOns to keep up qualny The words were right What was laclong was the WILL to DO anything The University Grants Comnllttee (cGC) report on unlverSltleS' forecast expenillture supports AUT'S analysIs that there IS money In the system The AUT saJd uruversltles would have an extra 1:4am due to the 100% fundmg of restructuring The UGC report agrees The AUT saJd uruverSltleS made a profit' on pnvate Income of 1:4am The cuc report confirms 1:3am I emphasise thiS because members I tled to know, If we are gOing Into d.Ct on. that the CVC? could afford an increase albeit modest Yet the VIcec.:hance lors have washed their hands of . I respooslblllty They say the only way forward IS to go to government for more money Tt e Vice-chancellors plead dire verty At the same time. the Department of l::d catIOn and Science c1alffi to he!. ve prOVided extra funding for I ~H9 90. and the universIties must Illdl djfe on II as best they can The unlverSltleS are In a mess, and both the CVC? and the DES are trymg to P ace the blame on each other. They Illdulge In macho pohtICklng; and
meanw e, academlc and re led pay eve Is slump still further. The evc? stand accused of betrayulg their staff by not bemg prepared to negotiate what AUT has always accepted would be a modest lnCreaBe. The DES and the government stand accused They have fal1ed to proVlde the funds to make salary levels competitive. The Vice-chancellors have condemned the exammatIOllB actIon. They could have aVOided It by negotis.~ Wlth us In good faith. They haven't done 80; they stlil refuse to do 80. They thought it would never happen. They take refuge now in glib mor&lising, and a.ccu..se us of unpro!eeaionsJ behavlOur. What could be more unprofeSSiOnal than the way In wbJch the cvcp have approached these negoti&tlOns Wlth thelf stai1'? There haa been no analySlB. no real argument, and DO attempt to find ... solution. They have refused to negot te. I know that many members voted in the ballot In order to strengthen the hands of the negotiators and in the hope that their action would not be needed. Sadly, the cVCP have not responded. We are still negotis.tlng but we need the adilllional pre881..lre of action. We Carinot afford to sbandon the 1988 increase. Equ.ally, if we are to achieve our second aim of a speedy tunetable for 1989. we have to keep up the pressure. Members are dlsturbed about the action. but it 18 clear tha.t they see it as the only mea.na of bnngmg effective pressure to bear on the CVCP The more unn.ed we are. the less Wt.ely we &re to have to purSUB actIon to the ultl.m.&te conclUSiOn. Nobody, but nobody in the AUT, WlShes to Joopa.rd.iae student.a' careers but the more resolute a.n.d deternuned our approa.ch the le8a 1lk.ely students are to su!!er. We must succeed. I am confident that Wlth the marvellous support which the membership have given us in the ballot, we will succeed. Di&na WanrioIl Gtlneral secretary -continued overpage