Author Archives: d.thompson

UNISON BRANCH DROP IN SURGERIES

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York St John University UNISON Branch has arranged advice surgeries over the coming months:

Friday 22nd September – Time 12:00-14:00 DG/120

Friday 20th October – Time 12:00-14:00 DG/109

Friday 17th November – Time 12:00-14:00. HG/139

Friday 15th December – Time 12:00-14:00. HG/137

 

Surgeries provide opportunities for members to seek confidential advice from Branch reps and also UNISON regional staff. Non-members are welcome to drop into surgeries to find out more about UNISON.

For more information please contact YSJ UNISON branch at unison@yorksj.ac.uk

PAY UPDATE

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UNISON’s higher education members have accepted an employers’ pay offer for 2017-18 worth between 1.7% and 2.4%, with higher increases for the lowest-paid staff.

The lowest pay point (spinal column point 2) will receive the highest increase, bringing it to the living wage rate of £8.45 an hour for those working a 35-hour week.

UNISON’s head of higher education, Donna Rowe-Merriman, commented: “Members working in universities have reluctantly accepted this year’s offer. 

“Whilst higher than recent years, it still does not go far enough in compensating staff for successive years of low wage increases.

“The HE service group executive has already begun work on next year’s claim and will want to mobilise support from across HE to ensure decent pay for our members in future.”

Members voted by 71.1% to 28.9% to accept the offer in a consultation carried out by the union’s branches.

The employers were informed of the result after the service group executive ratified the consultation, which saw almost three-quarters of union branches (74.6%) return a response, and a majority vote for acceptance in every UNISON region.

Unions and employers also agreed to continue work on dealing with the gender pay gap and zero-hour contracts in the sector

DROP IN THURSDAY

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Just a reminder that there will be a drop in surgery this Thursday

 

 

Thursday 13th July – CD/002 11.30am – 13.30pm.

 

Surgeries provide opportunities for members to seek confidential advice from Branch reps and also Unison regional staff. Non – members are welcome to drop into surgeries to find out more about UNISON

 

For more information please contact YSJ UNISON branch at unison@yorksj.ac.uk

Drop-in on Thursday

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Just a reminder that there will be a drop-in surgery this Thursday

 

Thursday 15th June – CD/002 11:30am -13:30pm

Surgeries provide opportunities for members to seek confidential advice from Branch reps and also UNISON regional staff. Non-members are welcome to drop into surgeries to find out more about UNISON.
 
For more information please contact YSJ UNISON branch at unison@yorksj.ac.uk

Latest Pay Negotiations Update

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Below is the latest update sent to the branch from the Higher Education Service Group Executive

  1. PAY ELEMENTS

Pay rates for non-clinical staff covered by HE national agreements will be increased as follows:

With effect from 1 August 2017:

University employers have made a final offer of 1.7% increase on all points from 1 August 2017 with additional payments at the lower end of the pay spine.

On London Weighting, the offer is 1.7% for post-92 HEIs that retain a separate allowance.

The lowest pay spine point from August 2017 would equate to £8.45 per hour for employees on a 35 hour week. This offer also includes tapered increases through to 1.7% on point 17 and above from 1 August 2017. (See table below)

Final offer – pay spine points 1 to 16

2016-17 2017-18 (final offer) *
Spine point Salary Hourly rates (35hr) Salary Increase Hourly rates (35hr week) Hourly rates (36hr week) Hourly

Rates

(37hr week)

 % increase
2 15052 8.25 15418 366 8.45 8.21 7.99 2.43
3 15356 8.41 15720 364 8.61 8.37 8.14 2.37
4 15670 8.59 16035 365 8.79 8.54 8.31 2.33
5 15976 8.75 16342 366 8.95 8.70 8.47 2.29
6 16289 8.93 16654 365 9.12 8.87 8.58 2.24
7 16618 9.11 16982 364 9.30 9.04 8.80 2.19
8 16961 9.29 17326 365 9.49 9.23 8.98 2.15
9 17399 9.53 17764 365 9.73 9.46 9.20 2.10
10 17898 9.81 18263 365 10.00 9.72 9.46 2.04
11 18412 10.09 18776 364 10.28 10.00 9.73 1.98
12 18940 10.38 19305 365 10.57 10.28 10.00 1.93
13 19485 10.68 19849 364 10.87 10.38 10.28 1.87
14 20046 10.98 20411 365 11.18 10.87 10.58 1.82
15 20624 11.30 20989 365 11.50 11.18 10.87 1.77
16 21220 11.63 21585 365 11.83 11.49 11.18 1.72

* Spine point figures and hourly rates for 2017/18 are approximate.

  1. PAY RELATED ELEMENTS

Gender pay – specific proposals are:

  • A joint statement to be issued outlining shared aspiration to see the gender pay gap closing and action planning at HEI’s.
  • Joint work on a survey of HEI’s gender pay gap action planning.
  • TU’s to conduct parallel survey about the involvement of staff reps in action planning at local level.
  • Take the issue forward with ECU and look at intersectionality with other protected characteristics.

Casual employment – specific proposals are:

  • Firm commitment to a joint meeting of new JNCHES in October 2017 to review the output of existing projects.

UNISON’s HESGE Committee’s views on the offer:

UNISON’s Higher Education Service Group Executive (HESGE) met on the 4 May 2017 to discuss UCEA’s full and final offer on 2017 / 18 pay.

The Service Group Executive’s view is that this offer is the best to be achieved by negotiation and that if members vote to reject the offer, sustained and prolonged industrial action will be required.

York St John Unison branch will be carrying out a consultative ballot of Unison members and sending the results back to the Higher Education Service Group Executive.