Industrial action update
An email sent to all staff on Monday 20 February by Rachel Brealey, Chief Operating Officer.
Dear colleagues,
We would like to note the recent developments in the Acas facilitated discussions between UCEA and the Higher Education trade unions. We hope this will bring us closer to a positive resolution.
We welcome the joint announcement that UCU, UNISON and Unite are to pause strike action over the next two weeks for a period of calm as talks continue.
The planned strike action in weeks commencing 20 and 27 February will now not go ahead.
Whilst the trade unions previously rejected UCEA’s final 2023/4 pay offer of between 8% and 5%, they agreed to further talks with UCEA, mediated by conciliation service Acas, which began on Monday 13 February.
These talks are addressing all the issues in the dispute, including pay, equality, job security and workloads.
On pensions, Universities UK issued an update on the latest USS quarterly monitoring statistics that show significant improvements in the scheme’s financial position.
More information on the ongoing industrial action can be found on our In Depth and FAQ pages on For Staff.
A version of this information will also be shared with students and Postgraduate researchers.
Best wishes,
Rachel Brealey
Chief Operating Officer