The UCU is unhappy with the employers¡¯ refusal to discuss a national deal on job security, and with their 0.4 per cent pay offer for next year. This figure falls far short of the higher education unions¡¯ initial joint claim of 4 per cent.

The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (Ucea) says it has no mandate from its member organisations for a deal on avoiding redundancies, and maintains that 0.4 per cent is the ¡°maximum affordable increase in the current climate¡±.

A final meeting between unions and employers is scheduled for 28 July.

However, the UCU tells members in the latest issue of its HE News publication that the ¡°signals as regards the employers¡¯ willingness to talk about our key issues are not good¡±.

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The union adds: ¡°It seems very likely, therefore, that to make progress members must be prepared to take industrial action. It is a disgrace that at a time of crisis, the employers expect our members to take a pay cut year after year and continue to refuse to talk about developing a national set of procedures to deal with the huge anxiety in the sector in relation to job losses.¡±

The UCU¡¯s higher education conference agreed in May to ballot for national industrial action if there was no ¡°acceptable¡± offer from Ucea on either jobs or pay.

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According to HE News: ¡°A special meeting of the union¡¯s Higher Education Committee will be held on 3 September to agree the final details for the ballot. Branches should be organizing meetings from 6 September onwards.¡±

The five higher education unions ¨C GMB, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), Unison, Unite and the UCU ¨C this year entered a joint claim to Ucea for the first time.

The unions are dismissive of Ucea¡¯s pay offer. They argue that next year¡¯s award must keep pace with inflation and make up for the gap between inflation and this year¡¯s 0.5 per cent settlement.

The UCU and the EIS have entered into official disputes with Ucea.

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A Ucea spokesman said: ¡°Clearly any threats of industrial action are premature when a third dispute-resolution procedure meeting (with the EIS and the UCU) is taking place on July, followed by a further formal New Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff meeting on 28 July.¡±

john.morgan@tsleducation.com