UK sector at ‘rock bottom’ as pay dispute derails graduations

UCEA being disingenuous as usual. Not only was the pay deal rejected, but the offered terms of reference for negotiations on working conditions was rejected, because the results would have been a suggested series of best-practices been non-binding on employers. In 2020 employers offered similar terms, but with the results being binding, with enforcement mechanisms and with a review policy for future updates. This offer was then pulled when the pandemic hit. Return to negotiations on ToR for the negotiations and they might see movement.

In response to the assertion by UCEA that 'UCU members have been “misled” into thinking that the marking boycott could lead to a revised pay offer as these talks were completed in February', my understanding is that negotiations aren't concluded until both sides think they are. UCEA may think that they can simply impose an offer that UCU has rejected--and in recent years that has indeed tended to be what's happened--but to assert that the pay offer can't be improved because the talks have been completed just amounts to the circular argument that the employers won't improve the offer because they don't want to improve the offer.