FOLLOWING the historic national strike by all the trade unions in the universities and colleges of higher education on 18 November, the national employers (UCEA) have responded with a new pay offer for the next two years.
For lecturers and administrative stall, the olter is tor a 2.y per cent pay rise for 1996-97 and for 19978 (or the March 1997 retail price index), while for manual staff the offer is for 3.5 per cent.
These offers are higher than the original offer made last summer of only 1.5 per cent (2.5 per cent for manual staff). With underbying inflation running at 2.8 per cent they are Dy no meshs sorrous The pay dispute centres on continued cuts in central government trano ano a massive increase in productivity by staff. Student numers in higher education rose by 71 per cent between 1989-90 and 995.96 but funding per student from the fell by 28 per cent.
The effect of this squeeze has been a continued reduction in salary levels for staff while workloads have risen dramatically.
The average starting salary for lecturers in the new universities in 1995 stood at (13,100, in comparison with the average for graduates as a whole of C14,362. During the same period the number of students for each member of scaff has increased from 13.5 in 1988-89 to 19 in 1993-94.
Macho-style management, similar to the health service, has operated alongside shorter contracts and cramped and unhealthy office conditions. Some new universities, such as London Guildhall, have responded to the funding squeeze by sacking dozens of lecturing staff.
The trade unions have been slow in responding to the crisis. This is partly a reflection of the pressure hat staff are under and feelings of vuinerdollisy Cuts in HE staff also hit students One lecturer at an old university told Socialist Outlook, "The pressure on sals mceon re wors hour days and wockends, and then we are told by our manarers that we are not publishing enough academic papers or that teaching qual. ity is inadequate. We are expected to work harder and harder and harder but expected to agree to a plecemeal pay rise". Managers in higher education awarded themserves & o.d por cens pay nise tast summer.
Some staff in the universities may look at the new offer and decide that as it is an improvement it should be accepted as the best that may be offered this year. But the UCEA stated last summer that 1.5 per cent was their hrai offer. The industrial action last term clearty had an impact Rod Marshall, branch secretary of NATFHE at Buckinghamshire Colege, commented that ...some staff feel ground down but have started to learn to fight back again. The strike last term was a massive show of strength that frightened the employers. The offer of 2.9 per cent over two years will see our salaries continue to fal whie our workloads will continue to increase. We should respect ourselves and our students and reject this paltry two year offer."
The higher education dispute has shown that industria action works. Proposals for an escalation of the action, including exam boycotts and further strikes, should be put into THOULU Student unions, whose members are also suffering the effects of goreTe Poc srou oo tivad in the campaign, which goes beyond he pay levels of scaff. The squeeze on niue colon roles tie overall funding situation in the publiA Labour government is likely to be at least as tight on public spending as the Tories. Public sector workers must unite in campaigning for substantial increases in funding Demands for increased taxes on the rich and the scrapping of the wasteful nuclear wespons programme and stock exchange need to be raised.