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Lecturers Agree To Mediation TalksThu, April 20, 2006Source: Guardian UnlimitedStriking lecturers last night agreed to mediation talks with their employers, providing renewed hope that long-awaited pay discussions may finally begin.Striking lecturers last night agreed to mediation talks with their employers, providing renewed hope that long-awaited pay discussions may finally begin. However, the AUT and Natfhe refused to agree to suspend their ongoing marking boycott despite a growing resistance from students who fear their graduations could be delayed if the industrial action continues. Instead, at the insistence of Ucea, the lecturers agreed to third-party mediation with the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas), possibly within days. Pay talks are pencilled in for Tuesday, however Ucea has maintained that it would not pursue negotiations with the two lecturers' unions while they were engaged in industrial action. The AUT and Natfhe are pursuing a 23% pay rise over three years, which they argue can be paid for with the increased income generated by the introduction of £3,000 tuition fees in England this year. Last month, the lecturers angrily dismissed a 6% pay offer from employers, describing it as "derisory" and accusing Ucea of refusing to make an effort to resolve the dispute. Ucea offered higher education staff a 6% pay increase, which would include 3% extra from August and another 3% in August next year. Jocelyn Prudence, the chief executive of Ucea, said: "Finding a way to get constructive negotiations back on track at the earliest opportunity is vital and we are pleased that Acas is being invited to contribute to that process. "We share the very real concerns of many students that the industrial action now being taken by Natfhe and, in particular, AUT could severely harm their studies." Both lecturers' unions are taking part in the ongoing industrial action. Although the AUT is refusing to set exams and mark assessments, Natfhe has instructed members to set exam papers, but refrain from marking them. Ms Prudence said: "A 6% pay increase for all higher education staff over two years would, in the next academic year, cost not one-third of new income from top-up fees, as the AUT and Natfhe were demanding, but more than twice that new income. "We hope that the two unions will see this offer as a basis on which to join Ucea and the other five unions in constructive negotiations aimed at agreeing a settlement which is both fair and affordable." Sally Hunt, the AUT's general secretary, said she was pleased that talks were taking place between the two sides. However, she said: "Talks about talks are not going to resolve this dispute. The employers must grasp the opportunity to discuss our pay claim, rather than talking about when we will discuss it. "The only offer on the table so far failed spectacularly to address the three-year element of our claim. It is vital that we get back round the table to agree a deal that delivers real increases for staff whose pay has declined so dramatically over the years." Roger Kline, the head of universities at Natfhe, said the mediation was "clearing the ground to allow the talks to begin", but warned that it was only the beginning. Mr Kline said vice-chancellors recently received a 25% average increase over three years, taking their average salary to £145,000. At the same time, lecturers' pay has declined by 40% over the last 20 years, he said. Last week, student unions from at least 20 universities broke ranks with the National Union of Students, which has publicly backed the lecturers, and condemned striking lecturers for refusing to mark their work. A letter signed by the student unions was sent to Ms Hunt, pleading with her to bring an end to the marking boycott. |