The University will shortly be implementing the final offer made by higher education employers for the pay year 2016/17. We recognise that this is in advance of a resolution of the ongoing dispute with all of the Trades Unions, but we do not wish to withhold increases, particularly for those on the lower points on the national pay scale who will benefit most from this settlement, for any longer.

Increases will be paid in October, with back payments (to 1 August 2016 or your starting date, if later) being made in November. The increase for most staff will be 1.1%, but the national agreement provides higher increases for those on grades 1A and 1B and those on the first spinal point of grade 2.

The University has decided to enhance the national offer by removing a further spinal point from the pay scale used by Warwick, meaning that the minimum level of pay for staff working for the University will be just over £8.25 per hour. The national offer by employers includes a pledge to remove spinal point 1 during the course of the next few months; the University of Warwick abandoned the use of points 1 and 2 some years ago and, following this most recent change, will use the fourth point on the national pay scale as the base point for pay at Warwick. Please note that this means the lowest hourly rate of pay at Warwick meets the level being advocated by the Living Wage Foundation for employers outside London. Staff currently employed on spinal point 3 will therefore receive an increase in base pay of 4.8%.

We are very conscious of staff and trade union concerns about two issues in addition to the national pay offer – gender differences in pay and the use of casual contracts. At Warwick, the gender pay gap is almost entirely a reflection of the disappointingly low proportion of women at the most senior levels. We have made some significant improvements, e.g. in the gender balance within our senior leadership team, but we are far from complacent about this issue, and our new Provost, Professor Christine Ennew, will be commenting shortly on her blog about the numbers and what we are doing to improve the situation.

We are aware that there are also some very genuine concerns about “casualisation” in higher education. Last year we began a project designed to improve arrangements for those undertaking sessional teaching at this University through a pilot scheme running in six departments. This has been extended this year to a seventh department and we are intending to extend its use across the whole university next academic year. Both student and staff representatives have played and will continue to play a key role in refining the deal for sessional teachers.

Gillian McGrattan

Director of Human Resources