Dear colleagues,

This is an important message regarding recent developments in the negotiations around a new framework for sessional pay. 

Last year in addition to completing the 'mapping' process for transferring hourly paid colleagues onto the national pay framework, we secured interim increases for staff on the lowest pay rates - see www.bbk.ac.uk/ucu/campaigns/SLHP/2011Septa to be paid immediately whilst negotiations continue.

Now, after years of negotiations we have reached a decisive stage. Following a series of focus groups in each of the college Schools that took place in the autumn, management will shortly be making a formal offer on the 'multiplier'. This is the figure that will be used to calculate the ratio of hours of preparation for each hour of teaching for which we will be paid. As you will appreciate, this is a crucial element of the agreement. We will, of course, be consulting with sessionals about any formal offer made by management. We anticipate that this will happen sometime in March. 

A second key aspect that is currently being discussed is the question of whether marking should be included in our teaching pay, or whether it should be paid separately. We will also need to agree, if it is paid separately, whether we should we be paid per script, or on an hourly basis.

We will be updating you regularly on the progress in negotiations over the next few months. However, in the meantime, if you have any questions or suggestions for the UCU negotiating team, we would be very happy to receive them. You can get in touch with us via ucu@bbk.ac.uk  or contact us individually via the UCU webpages – see www.bbk.ac.uk/ucu/campaigns/SLHP for more information or www.bbk.ac.uk/ucu/contact/Committee for our full contact details.

Regards,

Birkbeck UCU Framework Negotiation Group
Simon Behrman, Rebecca Gumbrell-McCormick, Trevor Fenner, Simon Hewitt-Horsman,  Pat Costall, Mike Berlin