Update - December 2023
Dear colleague,
This is to provide you with a further update on reward activities that fall under the remit of the Reward Consultation and Negotiation Group, including Harmonisation proposals. As a reminder, you can click here to read about the background and more detail about the work of the group as well as view previous communications.
Harmonisation including the 35-hour week
As previously communicated, due to the financial challenges facing the University, the Senior Management Team (SMT) agreed that further consideration needed to be given to the timing and approach for implementation of harmonised terms and conditions in a focused workshop.
The workshop took place during late November and included members of the Reward Consultation and Negotiation Group as well as management and staff representatives from across the University.
The activities in the workshop were creative in considering what our options may be, in the context of current financial challenges. Following constructive discussion, the group agreed key proposals that will now be submitted to the SMT for consideration in January. An update will be provided towards the end of January 2024.
The Accredited Living Wage
The Living Wage Foundation has announced an increase in the Accredited Living Wage (ALW) from £10.90 to £12.00 per hour. As an ALW employer, the University is committed to implementing the new rate but will have to consider how this impacts on our current salary scales, in the context of the current financial challenges and ensuring continuity of pay differentials between Grades 1, 2, 3 and beyond. An update will be provided in due course.
Casual contracts (Temporary Services and Guaranteed Minimum Hours)
Following the agreement reached with Aberdeen UCU, work has been progressing to provide staff who have worked 0.1fte or more the option to transfer to a fractional contract.
The guidance piloted during the 2022/23 academic year has also been amended to include a commitment to offering staff a fractional contract if they have worked more than 0.1fte in the same role in the preceding year, and it is reasonable to assume the same number of hours will be required on an ongoing basis. The guidance can be accessed here.
A reminder that if staff with a Temporary Services or Guaranteed Minimum Hours contract have any concerns about their contract they can raise this with their HR Partner/Adviser.
Feedback
If you would like to provide feedback on any of the reward activities you can do so through the Reward - Feedback Form, your line manager or your trade union representative (Unison – Owen Cox (o.m.cox@abdn.ac.uk); Unite – Brian Paterson b.paterson@abdn.ac.uk); UCU - ucu@aberdeen.ac.uk
Tracey Slaven
University Secretary and Chief Operating Officer