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 informationon the iuues involved.

FROM THE CVCP AS PUBLISHED 3/1/8Y

UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC A 0 ACADEMIC RELATEOSTAFF SALARIES I 1989

A datement by the University Authorities Panel and lheCommittee of Vice-Chancellors and PrincipalB

SALARY DECLINE

1. CVCP and UAP are concerned at the continuing dcdlOe inthe value of salaries for academic staff which is endangeringthe ability to recruit, retain and motivate excellen t staff.

2. In February 1987 agreement was reached on the Twenty­third Report of Committee A which provided increases of

16% from 1 December 19867% 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 byabout 8% a year. This has just about kept pace with lhe growthin earnings in the economy but has done nothing 10 improve therelative 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 theadditional Government funding was not sufficient and calledfor more funds for an increase in 1988/89. The Employers stre­ssed that they had committed all the resoun.:es aVJilable up toand including 1988/89. The AUT whilst shOWIng every signof understanding this nevertheless said they would submit apay claim. The relevant passage from the Twenty-third Reportis:

'The University Authorities Panel stres~e~ lhal lhe propo-sals exhaust the funds presently availahle for sdlJry Increasesin the financial years 1986/117 to 19 18Y, will Jffecl resoun.:eallocations within universities and no further ml.:reJ~e~ I.:ouldbe afforded from 1 April 1988 unless new funds .... ere rnJdeavailable for salary increases'.

4. Despite the joint request lhc Governmenl Uld nOl prOVIdemore 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

Report COSl more lhan UOlverSllles could afford. Part of it haslud 10 be paid for by utting staff numbers.

6 For next year (1')'691<)0) both sides made a determinedellort to p~r~uad~ the Government to arrest the decl1ne inJI.: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 uncom-petitIve .

- pointed to superior pay and conditions in foreian ulUver­sitics and research establishments- showed how academics had fallen behind even the civilservice- stn:ssed that recruitmen t and retention problems wouldbecome widespread- included the results of the Joint survey of recruitmentand retention problems

SALARIES IN 1989

7. ('ollowing the Chancellors' Autumn Statement and the corr­esponding statement by the Secretary of State for Educationand Science it is clear that a salary increase can be afforded in19'69/90. However, the iiS~Cl.\Sment of UAP and CVCP is thatthe 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 toonly about half the sum required.

8. A salary increase at the level implied will not enable univer­sities to recruit, retain and motivate excellent staff. ThereforeIt has been decided to make a new approach to the Governmentfor 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 bothsides, and designed to enhance the ability of institutions to res­pond to particular recruitment and retention problems. Prop­

osals of this kind are being explored with A UT representativesin urgent discussions.

10. The aIm of the UAP and CVCP is to gain sufficient fundsfor average earnings to flse to the same extent as elsewhereIn the economy ie by about 9%. This earnings increase wouldbe 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 wHhthe object of ensuring that the matter is settled not later thanthe end ot March 1989.

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Special Supplement: T CTIO 20-1-89

obviowl a matter of great concern. hiB pecial Comment

eT and C\ CP tatements to gi\'e member of staff background informationhe current national eT action on e;\.aminatio

supplement set out the national.on the iasues involved.

FROMTHEJA ARY ')>\ rHULLETI

Qv.·...,"Are you prepared towithdraw entirely fromp&rtioipation in any part of~ examination process(includina' the admj n istrative

pl'OOB88 which SUpports it) inunivenity institutions and toretuae 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%)

A UT has decided to take coli t veactIon against university em­ployers. The CoIllIlllttee of VICe­

Chancellors and PnnClpalS (CVCP) andthe Uruverslty Authorities Pane (CAP)

have sIurked their responSibility tostaif. They expect government toproVlde funding for an Increase tocontlIlgent on further restruct nngDecember council agreed that negotla·tlOns would now have to be supportedby membership actIOn.

No union could have Wlshed less to beforced into this situatIOn. We have doneeverything we can to aVOId It. We havenegot.ul.ted for eleven months Without

s cce ow. members ha e given aneq \' sign that they WI no

longer d.(,'Cept the vice-chancel ors' pre-an ton

Yo r negotiators are pursumg twoc ear obJectives. first, an acceptable

tt ement for 19 889. and second,reement Wlth the CVC? on a satisfac­

tory t metable for negotiating a settle­ment for 1989 90 We have so far beenunab e to move the CVC? on eitherobjective

The cvcp' approach throughout hasbeen condmoned by what the least­well-off unl verSltles cou Id affordThere have been lengthy dlBcUSBlonsand on several occasIOns the UAPseemed ready to make progress Theykept tel 109 us how bad salary leve swere and how much they wanted tolIDprove them

They agreed on the need to recrwtthe best staff, the need for competitivelevels to attract good people. and theneed for the nght conditIOns to keep upqualny The words were right Whatwas laclong was the WILL to DOanything

The University Grants Comnllttee(cGC) report on unlverSltleS' forecastexpenillture supports AUT'S analysIsthat there IS money In the system TheAUT saJd uruversltles would have anextra 1:4am due to the 100% fundmg ofrestructuring The UGC report agreesThe AUT saJd uruverSltleS made aprofit' on pnvate Income of 1:4am Thecuc report confirms 1:3am

I emphasise thiS because membersI tled to know, If we are gOing Intod.Ct on. that the CVC? could afford anincrease albeit modest Yet the VIce­

c.:hance lors have washed their hands of. I respooslblllty They say the onlyway forward IS to go to government formore money

Tt e Vice-chancellors plead direverty At the same time. the Depart­

ment of l::d catIOn and Science c1alffi tohe!. ve prOVided extra funding forI ~H9 90. and the universIties mustIlldl djfe on II as best they can

The unlverSltleS are In a mess, andboth the CVC? and the DES are trymg toP ace the blame on each other. TheyIlldulge In macho pohtICklng; and

meanw e, academlc and re led payeveIs slump still further.

The evc? stand accused of betrayulgtheir staff by not bemg prepared tonegotiate what AUT has alwaysaccepted would be a modest lnCreaBe.

The DES and the government standaccused They have fal1ed to proVldethe funds to make salary levels com­petitive.

The Vice-chancellors have con­demned the exammatIOllB actIon. Theycould have aVOided It by negotis.~

Wlth us In good faith. They haven'tdone 80; they stlil refuse to do 80. Theythought it would never happen. Theytake 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 thecvcp have approached these negoti&­tlOns Wlth thelf stai1'? There haa beenno analySlB. no real argument, and DO

attempt to find ... solution. They haverefused to negot te.

I know that many members voted inthe ballot In order to strengthen thehands of the negotiators and in thehope that their action would not beneeded. Sadly, the cVCP have notresponded. We are still negotis.tlng butwe need the adill lional pre881..lre ofaction. We Carinot afford to sbandonthe 1988 increase. Equ.ally, if we are toachieve our second aim of a speedytunetable for 1989. we have to keep upthe pressure.

Members are dlsturbed about theaction. but it 18 clear tha.t they see it asthe only mea.na of bnngmg effectivepressure to bear on the CVCP The moreunn.ed we are. the less Wt.ely we &re tohave to purSUB actIon to the ultl.m.&teconclUSiOn. Nobody, but nobody in theAUT, WlShes to Joopa.rd.iae student.a'careers but the more resolute a.n.ddeternuned our approa.ch the le8a1lk.ely students are to su!!er.

We must succeed. I am confident thatWlth the marvellous support which themembership have given us in theballot, we will succeed.

Di&na WanrioIlGtlneral secretary

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