Talks aimed at resolving the bitter lecturers’ pay dispute have reached “the end of the road”, university employers have said.
The AUT and Natfhe unions rejected the latest 13.1% offer over three years earlier this week and warned that strikes could follow.
Since March, union members have been boycotting assessments, with exams cancelled and coursework left unmarked at universities across the UK.
But the Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association (Ucea) warned that no more money is available, and some universities were already unhappy that the employers’ group made such a generous offer.
Jocelyn Prudence, chief executive of Ucea, said: “We have come to the end of the road in the national negotiations. We really feel that we have done everything possible to accommodate the unions’ requests.”
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She continued: “There have been endless meetings since the beginning of the year, there have been all sorts of Acas discussions. There really isn’t anything more that is achievable at national level.”
Yesterday, lecturers demonstrated in London against what they called the “miserly” pay offer.
