AUT takes pay deal
The Association of University Lecturers has voted to accept a pay deal offered by the University.
The move, endorsed by 84.5 per cent of the membership, resolves a dispute characterised by months of acrimonious wrangling. Tensions reached a height in January when the University prevented the AUT from having recruitment stands on campus while the union remained in dispute with the University.
More importantly, the endorsement removes the immediate threat of further industrial action, meaning there should be no disruption to lecture timetables this term.
It is as a result of the strike by lecturers and other staff such as librarians on February 24th that the revised offer was made, and although the disruption caused was far from welcome, it will come as a relief to all students that Trinity will see no repetition of last term's industrial action.
The details of the agreement mean that there will be a minimum 6.8 per cent pay increase, with the deal reaching as high as 24.7 per cent for the lowest salary bracket. It was the rejection of an unsatisfactory offer of a 6.44 per cent pay increase two years ago that ultimately led to last term's strikes.
Paul Rees, the AUT's Director of Communications, told The OxStu that: "The new offer from employers goes some way to recognising that there has been a very serious shortfall in pay increases over the last two decades."
While the package is seen by many as a victory for the union, the AUT still believe "there is a very long way to go in reconciling this [problem], and ensuring that academic staff are paid the amount that they deserve."
For now, at least, it would appear that compromise has been achieved.
13th May 2004