What have the AUT been offered so far?

On Monday 8 May, UCEA, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association, with Warwick’s full support, put an offer of a 12.6% pay increase, over 3 years, to the higher education trade unions.  This offer is the best and final offer that UCEA is mandated to make by its member universities.

This offer was firmly rejected by the AUT negotiators, while being reported positively to members by the support staff trade unions.

The AUT has pledged to continue its industrial action until the pay dispute is resolved.

The AUT says that Warwick degrees will be worth less this year – why are they saying that?

The AUT are saying this for two reasons:

1. The special temporary regulation allows Examination Boards to go ahead even if they are inquorate, this is because AUT members could choose to further disrupt assessment by not attending Examinations Boards rendering them unconstitutional.
   1. The AUT argue that inquorate Examination Boards, with fewer than usual academics, will not be representative or rigorous enough.  The University disagrees.
2. The special regulation allows Examination Boards to award a classification if 70% or more of a student’s marks are available.  When all the marks are available the mark may only be moderated upwards.
   1. The AUT argue that this will pave the way for grade inflation as student’s that have performed well in the available 70% of assessment may be awarded a classification that they turn out not to deserve when all the marks are available – and by that stage the grade cannot be moderated down.
   2. The University argues that although the Examination Boards are permitted to award classified degrees they can also choose to award an unclassified honours degree if they are in any doubt or feel that core module marks are missing.  This can then be reviewed once all the marks are available.

Will the degree congregation go ahead this summer?

The summer degree congregation will preceed in July as normal.

The AUT say that the universities promised to use the additional funds raised through the introduction of variable fees (tuition fees) for improving academic salaries - what has happened to this money?

The AUT claim that universities nationally are defaulting on their commitment to boost salaries using the sector's new income from the variable fees (tuition fees) starting this October.

The AUT therefore is campaigning that one third of the additional income be put into staff pay.

The University of Warwick has been committed to spending roughly one-third of the additional fee income on staffing since 2002 when the prospect of differential fees was first mooted. Warwick proposes to spend the remaining two-thirds on student bursaries and student services and facilities.