The Headline Details of the Offer Are Set out Below

Dear Colleague

MRC Pay Award 2009

We have reached the end of this year’s protracted pay negotiations and the MRC has presented its final Treasury approved position to the trade unions. These negotiations have been difficult and have also, to a large extent, been ultimately shaped by the financial constraints the MRC is operating within.

The headline details of the offer are set out below.

It is the view of the UCU committee that the offer is a disappointing one. It is our view that the overall offer of 2% increase, once distributed via the conditions set out in the offer for 1.3% pay 0.7% ASR, falls some way short of the pay claim we submitted particularly in areas such as recognising and addressing the relative decline in bands 4,3 and 2. In addition to this the UCU committee is concerned that no budget was made available for progression pay increments this year. Also the UCU committee is not convinced that increasing the pot for distributing reward via ASR should be at the expense of increases to pensionable pay.

It is for these reasons that the UCU committee will not be making a recommendation to members in this year’s ballot. It is the committee’s view that we will leave it up to our members to make an informed decision about the pay offer by asking you to decide whether you accept or reject the offer made. To confirm the pay increases highlighted below will be consolidated into pensionable pay.

The Offer;

·  Staff performing satisfactorily in bands 7, 6 and 5 to receive a £450 consolidated pay award.

·  Staff performing satisfactorily in band 4 to receive a £400 consolidated pay award.

·  Staff performing satisfactorily in bands 3 and 2 to receive a £300 consolidated pay award.

·  For the sake of clarity, this consolidated award will apply to all staff up to and including staff at or above the band maxima in bands 7-2.

·  Normal progression payments are to be suspended for 2009, employees to remain on their current pay point.

·  Allowances will be increased by 1.5%. The consolidated or non-consolidated status of all allowances to remain unchanged.

·  ASR awards will be made from a budget of 0.7% subject to the rules of the ASR scheme.

What this means expressed as a percentage increase;

Salary increase budget of 1.30%
Pay Scale Group / £ increase / As a %
BAND 2 / £ 300 / 0.51%
BAND 3 / £ 300 / 0.74%
BAND 4 / £ 400 / 1.41%
BAND 5 / £ 450 / 2.00%
BAND 6 / £ 450 / 2.73%
BAND 7 / £ 450 / 3.61%
£ 391 / 1.30%
ASR Budget / As a %
£ 708,583 / 0.70%
MRC PAY STRUCTURE
Band / 7 / 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 / 2 / 1
Minimum / 13,470 / 15,929 / 20,074 / 26,022 / 35,935 / 44,314 / 55,850
Point 1 / 13,736 / 16,245 / 20,475 / 26,545 / 36,663 / 45,213
Point 2 / 14,007 / 16,568 / 20,883 / 27,078 / 37,404 / 46,129
Point 3 / 14,284 / 16,896 / 21,300 / 27,623 / 38,162 / 47,064
Point 4 / 14,566 / 17,232 / 21,726 / 28,178 / 38,935 / 48,018
Point 5 / 17,575 / 22,160 / 28,746 / 39,723 / 48,992†
Point 6 / 22,603 / 29,324 / 40,527 / 49,986
Point 7 / 23,056 / 29,914 / 41,348 / 51,000
Point 8 / 30,516 / 42,187 / 52,035
Point 9 / 31,131 / 43,041 / 53,091
Point 10 / 19,199 Ñ / 24,589 Ñ / 31,758 / 43,914 / 54,168
Point 11 / 55,267
Point 12 / 20,677 Ñ / 26,493 Ñ / 56,389
Point 13 / 57,534
Band Maxima at 1/4/09 / 14,566 / 21,291 / 27,271 / 31,758 / 43,914 / No Maximum / No Maximum
Notes
Ñ / 10 year underpinning pay point
Ñ / 12 years underpinning pay point
Underlined figures represent SPPs
† = PLT SPP

How to Vote

In the light of the ongoing postal dispute, and the impact this will have on turning around any postal ballot, the committee has decided that for this year’s pay offer, voting will be carried out via a secure e-ballot voting system.

Members will receive a separate e-ballot voting form, which has been specifically developed from survey software the union has used for some time. Each e-ballot will have a unique identifier. Once the e-ballot has been submitted, as per the returning instructions, it is secured via the union’s server. Returned e-ballots cannot be altered once sent.

From the membership data base, there are a small number of members who have not supplied UCU with an email address. These members will receive a postal ballot.

Whatever the result, the UCU committee will be working with our colleagues in the other recognised unions to present a clear message to the MRC over pay. We will also be pressing the MRC for further talks about the outcome of the ballot.

Further update member communications will follow when the result is known

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