Created on: 20 Jun 2023
Dear Member
Our current ballot is running on the 2023/24 pay round and you should by now have received your ballot codes. It's important to use that ballot to let us know what you think about the 2023/24 pay offer.
For years UCEA has consistently run the narrative that the sector cannot afford inflationary pay rises for staff. Over time this simply seems to have become policy, with incremental cuts to the value of staff pay now compiling to mean your salary is worth 1/3rd less than it was in 2009.
But is it true? Are Universities as poor as they claim they are? Have their incomes dropped in recent years, are they using their reserves or growing their reserves?
The answer is no – they are not as poor as they claim. Their incomes are rising, reserves are growing – in part by spending less as a proportion on staff pay. This is a choice and Universities are prioritising their spending away from staff budgets and into other areas. That includes growing their reserves.
This table shows the pre and post-pandemic spend on staff as a percentage of income (according to HESA statistics). It also shows the reserve pot for each institution in those years according to each institutions published accounts.
It's no accident that reserves are growing while pay is falling! Part of this growth in reserves is being funded by you.
There's only one way to stop this from happening. We’ve tried negotiating through New JNCHES and UCEA for years, and still they stick to the “too poor” narrative, while the figures show the opposite.
We must take concerted action to force the employers to revisit their priorities.
EIS-ULA is urging you to vote to REJECT the 2023-24 pay offer and YES to both action short of strike and strike action.
Vote now!
#TimeForFairPay