Pay 2023-24: pay increase to be implemented early
Employees on University pay scale set to receive a basic pay increase of at least 5%. Some of increase to be paid from March 2023 and the remainder will be paid from August.
National pay negotiations
The Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association (UCEA) has advised that this year’s sector-wide national pay negotiations have now concluded. Employers will pay part of the salary uplift earlier than planned, to provide help with the cost of living pressures, particularly for those on the lower salary spine points.
From August 2023 the national pay award will provide an uplift of 5% to 8% for all colleagues.
We will implement part of this pay award in March, backdated to 1 February 2023. Spine points 3-41 will be uplifted by £1,000 per year and spine points 42 and above will be uplifted by 2%.* The rest of the pay award will be implemented from 1 August 2023.
Please note that all pay awards are subject to normal pay deductions (e.g., tax, National Insurance, pensions).
* Any increases to supplements, allowances or honoraria to which the National Pay Award usually applies will be updated in the April payroll, with an effective date of 1 February 2023.
Structure of the pay uplift 2023-24
The details of the pay award are listed below and range from 5% to 8%.
The pay uplift for 2023-24 will uprate the current pay spine by the following percentages from August 2023:
| Spinal Column Points | Uplift |
|---|---|
| 3 to 5 | 8% |
| 6 to 14 | 7% |
| 15 to 25 | 6% |
| 26 to 51+ (where eligible) | 5% |
In addition to the National Pay award increase in basic pay, staff eligible for incremental progression will continue to receive an annual increment worth up to 3% of annual salary.
As part of Acas conciliation discussions, UCEA confirmed the deletion of Spinal Column Points 3 and 4 of the national pay spine no later than the end of 2023-24, (i.e. by July 2024).
Initial implementation of the 2023-24 pay uplift 2023
UCEA has recommended that the uplift be paid in two stages with an initial interim increase of either £1,000 per annum or 2% per annum (whichever is greater) between 1 February 2023 and 31 July 2023 to be applied to all points on the national pay spine and paid in March, as set out below:
| Spinal Column Points | Uplift |
|---|---|
| 3 to 41 | £1,000 |
| 42 to 51 | 2% |
The remainder of the 2023-24 pay award will be implemented from 1 August 2023.
For example, this would mean that:
- A full-time member of staff now earning £22,662 per year will receive an overall 7% increase to their salary. An initial increase of £1,000 of this increase will be added to their annual salary in March 2023 (backdated to 1 February 2023). Their salary from February 2023 will be £23,662 per year. A further increase will be added in August 2023 to take the total increase to 7%. Their salary from the 1 August 2023 will be £24,248.
- A full-time member of staff currently earning £50,306 per year will receive a first pay increase of 2% from March 2023 (backdated to February 2023). Their salary from February 2023 will be £51,306 per year. A further increase will be added in August 2023 to take the total increase to 5%. Their salary from the 1 August 2023 will be £52,815
Second pay award uplift starts in August
From August 2023 the second part of the national pay award will be applied, giving a total uplift of between 5% to 8% for all colleagues.
The first part of this years’ pay award was implemented in March, backdated to 1 February 2023. The rest of the pay award will be implemented from 1 August 2023. This will mean that in August 2023 the total awarded uplift for 2023 will be as follows:
| Spinal column points | February 2023 uplift | August 2023 uplift | Total uplift |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 to 14 | £1,000 | Between 1.8% and 2.69% | Point 5 = 8%, Point 6 to 14 = 7% |
| 15 to 25 | £1,000 | Between 1.61% and 2.63% | 6% |
| 26 to 42 | Point 26 to 41 = £1,000, Point 42 = 2% | Between 1.76% and 2.94% | 5% |
| 43 to 51 | 2% | 2.94% | 5% |
All pay changes will be made as part of the August 2023 payroll.
You can find the up to date pay scales on the HR website.
Where can I find my current spine point?
You can either view this via your payslip screen on Employee Self-Service (University of Leeds Human Resources Homepage), look at the University Pay scales, or if you receive a paper payslip, your annual salary amount will be displayed at the top of the page.
I work part time – how will I know what my new salary will be?
If you are on spine point 42 or below your annual salary for the period 1 February 2023 to 31 July 2023 will be increased by £1,000 per annum pro-rata. If you are on grade 4.1 (spine point 11) and work 4 days a week (80% FTE) your new rate of pay will be £17,757.60 per annum. You can work out your monthly salary by dividing your annual salary level by 12.
My March payslip has ‘R Monthly’ on it – what does this mean?
R monthly indicates that you are receiving arrears for the pay award applied to your record from 1 February 2023 but not paid to you until your March salary payment.
How will I know if I receive any pay supplements, honoraria or allowances and how will I know if the national pay award applies to my additional payment?
You will have received confirmation in writing from HR previously, which will have outlined whether this is a fixed amount or whether the payment would be eligible to increase with nationally agreed pay awards.
I don’t think my record has been updated – what do I need to do?
Please check your March 2023 payslip via Employee Self-Service, or paper payslip, to confirm the impact of the pay award on your monthly salary pay. If you have a query regarding your pay please contact HR@leeds.ac.uk in the first instance and your query will be forwarded to the relevant team to respond.
Please note that we may not be able to make changes to all supplements, allowances and honoraria until April 2023.
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