University and College Union (UCU) members have been advised to reject an?offer from employers of a 1.4 per cent pay rise, with further strike action now a possibility.

Dispute resolution meetings held in late June and early July have failed to end the impasse in this year¡¯s annual pay negotiations, with UCU claiming the ¡°disappointing¡± offer ¡°falls far below¡± what workers ¡°deserve¡±.

The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (Ucea) has declined to increase the proposed rise from the 1.4 per cent for most staff offered in May, ¡°citing unprecedented financial circumstances¡±.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said this represents ¡°another real-terms pay cut¡± for staff, given it is below the current level of inflation.

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The union¡¯s higher education committee has initiated a consultation on the proposed rise and recommended members reject the offer. It also told members to vote in favour of taking industrial action.

Previous calls to strike over pay have been resisted by some in the union, given many branches are stretched fighting local job cuts. Earlier this year the union shelved plans to hold a strike ballot but threatened to try again for the start of the 2025-26 academic year unless more was done to ¡°protect jobs¡±.

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UCU has also started exploring whether it could start a dispute over job cuts against the education minister, Bridget Phillipson, given that she ultimately controls the levers that dictate university funding.

Unions pushed for more job security in this year¡¯s pay round, seeking reassurances that redundancies would be avoided.

Responding to this in a , Ucea chief executive Raj Jethwa proposes that employers and unions could work together to ¡°develop a joint case for sector financial support¡± ¨C a move Grady said ¡°fails to go far enough¡±.

Talks have also discussed addressing other union grievances such as casualisation, workloads and equality pay gaps. Both sides have signed up to establish working groups to look at these issues in more detail.

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Grady said talks should begin ¡°as soon as possible¡± because there was a chance to make ¡°significant progress¡±.

But in his letter Jethwa reiterates that this issue will not be progressed while a ballot for strike action was on the cards.

In a statement, Jethwa said the latest developments will?¡°disappoint a struggling sector¡±.

¡°The recent dispute meetings demonstrated a commitment from both sides to work towards a resolution,?despite sector finances deteriorating further since the pay round began,¡± he added.

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¡°Given the severity of the increasing financial pressures, the only prudent option open to employers, to try to protect students and staff, remains this pay offer.¡±

He said he did?not want the rejection of the pay uplift to ¡°inhibit our ability as employers and trade unions to make progress in the pay-related matters included in our full and final offer¡±.

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¡°But UCU must be honest with its members, explaining that?only?if the unions do not pursue a ballot for industrial action will joint work progress the pay-related elements of our offer.?The employers can note that the unions have not accepted the pay uplift and begin the joint work.¡±

tom.williams@timeshighereducation.com