University staff are in line to receive a pay rise of 5% – more than twice the government’s target rate for public sector pay.
Their existing three-year pay deal provided for a 2.5% increase in its third year, or a rise equal to the September retail prices index (RPI) inflation rate, whichever is higher.
The RPI figure currently stands at 5%, with the September figure not due to be published until mid-October. Universities are likely to postpone the pay rise due in October until they have this figure.
The three-year deal has deliverred more than 10% over 22 months, plus its guaranteed minimum of 2.5% for this next year, now likely to be higher.
The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) said the feedback from universities was that this final part will be paid, but the deal was “at the absolute limit of affordability”.
The University and College Union, which represents academic staff, said that employers have had three years to budget for the settlement.
