News and updates
The 2024/25 national pay negotiations update
The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) has proposed a pay settlement for the 2024/25 pay round. The pay settlement is proposed to be implemented in two stages, with the first portion effective from 1 August 2024, and the remainder effective from 1 March 2025. 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. The Notice and Grace can be viewed in Reporter.
The draft settlement provides for a 2.5% increase to the spine points on the University of Cambridge single salary spine, except for spine points 11 to 50 where the increases are proposed as follows:
| Spine point |
Amount of total implemented from 1 August 2024 |
Total increase from 1 March 2025* |
| Points 34 and below | £900 | £1,200 |
| Points 35 to 50 | £900 | £1,150 |
| Point 51 and above | £900 | 2.5% |
* The total % increase will be based on the spine point values as at 1 August 2023.
The first stage will be implemented in the November 2024 payroll with pay backdated to 1 August 2024. The second stage will be paid from the March 2025 payroll.
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.