LONDON, December 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Unite, UK's largest union, with the largest number of occupational groups in higher education, has urged universities to end the two-tier system of pay and benefits between academic and support staff. The union is also calling on UK universities to open their books fully in the light of the recent higher education finance and pay review completed by Baroness Fritchie, the conclusions of which are out today (Monday).

Unite is concerned that the Fritchie review has been a missed opportunity, failing to examine fully the difference of terms and conditions between academic and support staff and so not uncovering the upstairs, downstairs treatment of staff within higher education which has seen staff in some occupational groups earning salaries close to minimum wage levels.

In the light of the review, Unite is seeking reassurance from the sector employers' group, the University and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), that universities will not worsen support staff terms and conditions including removing existing pension schemes. It is also pressing the UCEA to ensure their subscribing Higher Education Institutions (HEI's) to offer staff flexible entry into the USS pension scheme which is automatic for academic staff.

Tony Britton from University of East London, and one of the Unite negotiators on the joint negotiating committee for higher education (JNCHES), warned:We need to stop the development of a them and us attitude within higher education. Pay, terms and conditions should be on as equal as possible basis. All parties should agree to end the upstairs, downstairs treatment of some groups of staff who receive inferior benefits and conditions. This review is a chance to start to change that archaic, outdated pattern in higher education.

Unite is calling for full disclosure of data by individual institutions together with detailed business plans and growth estimates so that a complete analysis of the demands that the sector is to face in coming years can take place.

Hugh Lewsley from Queens University Belfast, and also a Unite representative on the JNCHES, added: Baroness Fritchie and her committee have produced a thorough historical analysis, but they have failed to fully examine trends within the sector in sufficient detail to be useful to inform future pay and terms and condition negotiations. This was supposed to be the main aim of the review.

The calculations on future student numbers and student fee income by individual institution are also limited. The review in our opinion offers no detailed insight into what level of risk, investment, business planning or salary structures that will be needed for the future. In our opinion the review is incomplete.

According to Unite, one other worrying feature is the mechanism the review used to calculate pension cost. The analysis did not look at a large number of HE employers and in fact examined only three higher education institutes, a sample Unite regards as too small a statistical base from which to draw conclusions. Already there is a marked difference in the strength and viability of staff pension schemes with academic staff being better served than support staff.

Recently one institution, Sussex, announced it will no longer provide a final salary scheme for new starters. Unite has condemned this as further evidence of the two-tier pay and rewards structure opening up in higher education with support staff being denied access to the benefits available to academic staff.

Notes to editors

Unite is one of the main unions operating in the higher education sector. Unite is the only union in higher education with members in all occupational categories covered by the HE Finance and Pay Data Review.

For further information contact Pauline Doyle on +44(0)7976-832-861