Staff at Hugh Baird College win pay deal worth up to 9.8%

University and College Union (UCU) members at Hugh Baird College in Merseyside have won a significant pay rise of up to 9.8% and additional annual leave from next year. 

The deal comes after an overwhelming 93% of UCU members who voted said yes to strike action in response to an original offer of just 1%. UCU said that the win was the result of determined organising and the threat of industrial action from its members at Hugh Baird, and demonstrates that college employers have the resources to give decent pay rises to staff at the sharp end of the cost of living crisis.   The pay deal, voted for by UCU branch members, amounts to a total offer of up to 9.8%, which includes a £2668 uplift to the starting salary of lower paid staff and a £500 non-consolidated payment for all staff. UCU also won an additional three days annual leave per year.   

Earlier this month a UCU report showed that the vast majority of college staff are financially insecure, impacting the mental health of more than eight in 10 with many being forced to skip meals and restrict hot water use to save money.  Seven in 10 said they would leave the sector unless pay and working conditions improve. 

Staff at colleges across England voted recently to take industrial action against a national pay offer of only 2.5%. 

UCU regional official Martyn Moss said:

‘We welcome this agreement and management’s recognition that pay must improve to mitigate the effects of the cost-of-living crisis. This deal shows what can be achieved when union members stand together and demand better. It is a testament to the will of our members and their determination to bargain for a fairer deal, and shows there is no excuse for other colleges across the country to offer real-terms pay cuts, whilst ignoring the severity of the cost-of-living crisis facing staff.’