Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Collective bargainingEmployee relationsLatest NewsEducationTrade unions

University of Oxford vice-chancellor plans review of pay

by Ashleigh Webber 11 Jan 2023
by Ashleigh Webber 11 Jan 2023 Professor Irene Tracey, University of Oxford vice-chancellor
Image: OUImages/Ian Wallman
Professor Irene Tracey, University of Oxford vice-chancellor
Image: OUImages/Ian Wallman

The University of Oxford’s new vice-chancellor plans to commission an independent review of pay, pensions and working conditions, recognising the need to make it an attractive place to work. 

Professor Irene Tracey, the university’s first vice-chancellor to have been educated at a comprehensive school, said the university needed to focus on its staff, who she described as “the lifeblood of any university”.

Speaking at her admission ceremony this week, Tracey announced a new commission on all aspects of staff pay and conditions.

“We must find ways to shift the needle in your quality of life so that you can continue to deliver your best performance,” she told staff.

“I have heard the strength of feeling on pay and working conditions, and it is a priority for me to make sure the University is doing everything it can to support staff during these difficult financial times and to be an attractive place to work in the future.”

Pay at universities

Public sector: How can employers compete in the war for talent?

70,000 university staff to strike this month

Tracey also spoke about the need to make teaching posts “tenable”, and about developing lifelong skills in students from any background.

The University of Oxford was among the institutions affected by an ongoing dispute with trade unions over pay, conditions and worker casualisation. In November, more than 70,000 academic and non-academic staff at UK universities went on strike.

The University and College Union (UCU) and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), which represents university employers in negotiations with trade unions, have agreed to bring forward the 2023/24 pay round as the cost of living soars.

The union’s general secretary Jo Grady said the UCEA has refused to make an offer for 2022/23, but the UCEA has said it cannot reopen negotiations for this year.

She said: “The dedicated staff who work in our universities have not had an above-inflation pay rise in 13 years. They deserve so much better than to be strung along by employers.

“The joint trade unions [which include the UCU, Unite, Unison, GMB and the Educational Institute of Scotland) are eager to resolve the disputes but can only do so if fair offers for both 2022/23 and 2023/24 are forthcoming. By not even providing a starting offer, UCEA is undermining trust in negotiations and putting the entire university sector on a collision course with unprecedented industrial action.”

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Raj Jethwa, UCEA’s chief executive said: “UCU should be honest with their members and stop implying these negotiations are for last year’s deal (2022-23) as well for 2023-24. We have been constantly clear that while UCEA cannot re-open the 2022-23 pay round, which our member HE institutions have consistently confirmed as fully concluded, we have all remained committed to the possibility of bringing forward the [2023-24] pay negotiations in response to cost-of-living concerns. But threats of needless industrial action are testing this unique negotiation attempt by employers and will do nothing to support students, staff or the many HE institutions working hard to avoid redundancies or maintain staffing levels.”

Reward, compensation and benefits opportunities


Browse all comp and benefits jobs

Ashleigh Webber

Ashleigh is a former editor of OHW+ and former HR and wellbeing editor at Personnel Today. Ashleigh's areas of interest include employee health and wellbeing, equality and inclusion and skills development. She has hosted many webinars for Personnel Today, on topics including employee retention, financial wellbeing and menopause support.

previous post
One fifth of police officers plan to resign
next post
Employment law in 2023: What can HR expect?

You may also like

NHS 10-year Health Plan sets out vision for...

3 Jul 2025

Living wage pushes up spring pay settlements

2 Jul 2025

Why bosses must set pay independently

2 Jul 2025

Reforming paternity leave could benefit UK by £13bn...

30 Jun 2025

Bank of England says NIC rise is dampening...

27 Jun 2025

Graduate pay versus the living wage: an HR...

25 Jun 2025

Pension Schemes Bill should be ‘hugely beneficial’ for...

5 Jun 2025

Three ways technology can boost wellbeing outcomes

27 May 2025

Public sector workers gain pay rises of up...

22 May 2025

Deloitte scales back salary rises and promotions

22 May 2025

  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+