§ Mr. Shersbyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what now stands in the way of a rapid settlement of the negotiations concerning the anomaly with regard to the pay of university teachers; and if she will make a statement;
(2) if she will now agree that the question of settling the anomaly with regard to the pay of university teachers should now go to arbitration in accordance with the request made by the University Authority Panel and the Association of of University Teachers.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsAgreement has been reached by the negotiating committee—Committee B—on part of the salary settlement for non-clinical academic and related staff to be effective from 1st October 1977. The agreement covers agreed scales which, but for the anomaly, should have operated from 1st October 1977 but are at present suspended and the scales to be paid with effect from 1st October 1977 representing an average addition of 9.8 per cent. to the current scales.
The Government recognise that, because of the timing of pay policy, university teachers have suffered a wholly exceptional anomaly since October 1974. This has now been quantified and agreed by 664W the Government. In recognition of the three years that have elapsed since the arbitration board's intentions were frustrated, there is a Government assurance that this unique anomaly, which the agreed scales would correct, will be rectified over not more than the next three academic years—that is, 1978–79 to 1980–81—but the university interests are pressing for a settlement within a considerably shorter period. The Government are inviting Committee B to consider this further.
Copies of the statement by Committee B giving full details of this settlement are available in the Library of the House.