University financial position - a joint update

In Summer 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic, the University reached an agreement with UCU and Staff Forum representatives which identified ways in which the financial impact of COVID-19 could be managed and potential job losses avoided.  This agreement included a provision that University of Reading would not participate in national pay bargaining for a defined period, alongside several other mechanisms designed to address the financial impact of COVID.

The ‘Phase 1’ agreement reached was for a period of 3 years from August 2020 and representatives of the UEB, UCU and the Staff Forum continue to meet on a regular basis to review the University’s financial position and the ongoing impact of the pandemic.

The next scheduled meeting will be held on 22 September and as with previous meetings, will be informed by up-to-date information provided by colleagues in Finance.  However, in advance of that meeting, we can report that in the context of a steady financial position and with the outcomes of the student recruitment cycle now largely known, the University is able to implement the national 2022/2023 pay award.

The national 2022/2023 pay award represents a 3% increase for the majority of colleagues, increasing to up to 9% for the lowest paid colleagues in our community.  The pay award will be implemented in September salaries and will be backdated to 1 August 2022.  This is in line with the implementation of the award in the wider HE sector.

The joint Phase 1 group was also able to confirm the implementation of the national 2021/2022 pay award in November last year. There was no national pay award in 2020/2021.

By implementing the pay award, the University of Reading has therefore been able to match all of the national cost of living increases through the Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (JNCHES).   More details on national pay negotiations can be found here https://www.ucea.ac.uk/our-work/collective-pay-negotiations-landing/

UEB, UCU and the Staff Forum welcome the outcome that pay at University of Reading has kept pace with the wider HE sector.

We remain committed to continuing to review the University financial position for the remaining duration of the agreement and will continue to take a cautious and measured approach.

We continue to recognise and thank all colleagues for the part you have played in addressing the challenges arising from the pandemic: as a result of your support, the University was able to avert the redundancies which had been thought to be necessary in 2020 and which other institutions were unable to avoid.

Best wishes,

Robert Van de Noort, Vice-Chancellor 

Sally Pellow, President RUCU 

John Jack, Chair Staff Forum