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The 2023/24 national pay negotiations update

The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) has proposed a pay settlement for the 2023–24 pay round. The pay settlement is proposed to be implemented in two stages, with the first portion effective from 1 February 2023, and the remainder effective from 1 August 2023. t should be noted that the New Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (New JNCHES) trade unions remain in dispute over the offer. However, UCEA has confirmed that the formal dispute resolution procedure set out in the New JNCHES agreement has been exhausted and has therefore advised that implementation of the pay settlement should proceed. Accordingly the council has submitted a Grade to the Regent House and this has been approved. The Notice and Grace can be viewed in Reporter.

The draft settlement provides for a 5.0% increase to the spine points on the University of Cambridge single salary spine, except for spine points 11 to 37 where the increases are proposed as follows:

Spine point 

Amount of total implemented from 1 February 2023

Total increase from 1 August 2023*
Points 17 and below £1,000 8%
Points 18 to 26 £1,000 7%
Points 27 to 37 £1,000 6%
Points 38 to 53 £1,000 5%
Points 54 and above 2% 5%

* The total % increase will be based on the spine point values as at 1 August 2022

The first stage was implemented in the April 2023 payroll with pay backdated to 1 February 2023. The second stage will be paid from the August payroll. If the national offer changes then any additional increase would be applied and backdated to 1 February 2023.

 

Background

Each year national level talks are held under the New Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (New JNCHES) which form the basis of the annual pay review.

The date of implementation of the annual pay review is 1 August. However as the stipends and salaries of certain University staff require the approval of the Regent House, the University of Cambridge waits for the pay negotiations to be completed before submitting a grace to Regent House in line with the final settlement. Once the settlement has been approved it is backdated, if required, to 1 August of the relevant year and the salary scales are updated.

The pay award covers all relevant stipends and associated payments in the salaries of non-clinical academic and academic-related staff and assistant staff. For contract research staff and other staff supported on non-central funds, payment of any increase is conditional upon funds being available to meet the cost of the increase from the relevant funding source.

Members of New JNCHES are the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) for the Higher Education (HE) employers and the following HE unions: EIS, Unison, GMB, Unite and UCU.

Previous Annual Pay Reviews