The Framework Agreement
What Is the Framework Agreement?
• It is a new pay and grading structure that seeks to establish a pay and grading system that will reward all staff in higher education fairly • The agreement also covers issues such as staff development, equalities, hours of work, pay progression, contribution points and attraction and retention premia • The agreement, between the universities and higher education trade unions, is part of a two-year pay deal. It will provide an average increase of 7.7% for staff, with additional money for the lowest paid
Some History
Pay and Conditions of Service depended on :-
• whether you were manual or non
manual •Your type of occupation •and the type of University you worked for either a pre 1992 or a post 1992 University
Even More History
• The framework agreement was the result of many years of negotiation. The industrial action of 1996 led to the Bett Report which highlighted major inequities in the pay and grading structure. • There has been in effect a paralysis of the national industrial relations machinery for the past decade and the consequent absence of national bargaining on anything other than pay in that period;
This Led To Unequal Negotiating Machinery
• • • • • • 2 sectors (‗old‘ and ‗new‘ universities) manual / white collar / academic 10 different grading structures manuals on spot salaries manual hours: 39 v 37 or 38 v 36 academic/ academic related conditions
The Need for Change
• The lack of significant changes to conditions of service at national level means that staff in HE have outdated terms & conditions. Why are some staff on clerical related instead of Academic related, or technical as opposed to manual? • The existence of the new agreement will create opportunities for modernising terms and conditions within a national framework • And open up opportunities
UNISON and the Framework Agreement
• UNISON wants to make sure that any changes are made in full consultation and negotiation with all staff involved. It has never been more important to be part of a strong union
• Which is why we are encouraging all non members to join, to make sure their views are taken into account and that their interests are protected • It is important that your voice is heard!
What Does this Mean at UCL?
• UCL is bringing in a new grading structure and using a job evaluation scheme to ―measure‖ your job, it will replace all existing arrangements • This will affect everyone that works at UCL • UNISON believes that all staff —cleaners and porters, secretarial and technical, librarians and administrators—do valuable jobs and deserve fair and equitable pay
What Else?
• Pay progression and contribution points must be fair and open to all • UNISON will be working to ensure that this takes place
What Is Job Evaluation?
• Job evaluation is the process that measures each element of your job and gives it a total score • Many staff are underpaid and undervalued for the job they do. Job evaluation will establish a ranking order for jobs and fit them to the new pay spine • Job evaluation will seek to put this right by giving all jobs an equal and fair comparison
What Job Evaluation Isn’t!
• It isn‘t Rocket Science • It need not be complicated • The principles are about measuring jobs fairly – which means providing an equitable scoring system for all types of jobs • It is time consuming and requires attention to detail
UCL is using the HERA JE scheme
• Higher Education Role Analysis (HERA) is the JE scheme developed for Higher Education • It was developed by the Education Competences Consortium (ECC), which is a group of more than 100 HE institutions • HERA is designed to measure all staff ―from porter to professor‖ • There has been Trade Union involvement throughout • It incorporates the values and the views of staff in HE • It is equality proofed
What is UNISON’s role in this?
• UNISON have been given full-time facility time to negotiate the implementation of the agreement. Your lead negotiator is Tom Silverlock • UNISON will work to ensure that the job evaluation scheme is consistently and fairly applied • UNISON reps will be trained in advising and helping members through the JE process
What happens after JE?
• Staff will be placed into a new grade and salary range on the new single pay spine
• How you are assimilated will depend on how the new grades matches current salary • An appeals procedure will be set up
What does the agreement mean for manual staff ?
• For the first time, manual workers will have access to an incremental pay structure • Manual workers‘ hours will be harmonised with other staff in the institution. For example, if most staff in a
university work a 35-hour week, UNISON will argue that manual workers should work the same number of hours
What else is Changing?
• Pay Progression • Working Hours • Contribution Points • Attraction & Retention Premia
• Staff Development & Review
• Equalities
When Does All This Happen?
• From now until 2006
• The harmonisation of hours should happen no later than 1 August 2005, UNISON is campaigning for it to happen as soon as possible • The new pay arrangements can be introduced from 1 August 2004 and should be fully implemented by 1 August 2006
Time and Effort Invested Now Will Reap Dividends Later!
• This applies to both the trade union and the employer! • It important to take staff along with changes • This will make changes easier and avoid conflict, unrest and low morale at a later date
Who Can Answer My Questions?
• • • • • how much will I be paid under the new agreement? where would my job fit in under the new structure? how will it affect part time staff? what if I do not agree with the scale I am given? can I appeal, who will represent me?
To get answers to questions like these, you need to be involved in the process
How Can I Make my Voice Heard?
• Get more involved in the process. Come along to monthly branch meetings. Organise workplace meetings and invite a speaker to recruit more members into the union.
An Opportunity to Help Shape Your Own Future
• This is because every institution covered by the agreement has to develop the new pay system in partnership with trade union representatives
• The national agreement stresses the importance of negotiation and partnership working between employers and the trade unions
Don’t Find Yourself Out on a Limb - Join in!
• When the new agreement is implemented, active UNISON members will be guiding staff through the process • If you are a member you will have access to advice, information and support from a specially trained UNISON activist • It is important that everyone joins in the process and takes ownership and responsibility for ensuring equality across the institution