JNCHES industrial action pay ballots updates

Last updated: 12 November 2025

UK-wide Higher Education strike ballots opened on 20 October 2025. 
Read more about the strike ballot here.
Unite, UCU, Unison and EIS agree to ballot members at the same time, paving the way for joint strike action in universities across the UK. 

Unite members working in higher education institutions across the UK will be balloted for strike action this autumn over UCEA’s refusal to increase its 1.4% pay offer, which is real terms pay cut.

Higher education strike ballots will run from 20 October to 28 November 2025.

The decision to ballot was made by Unite’s Education National Industrial Sector Committee (NISC) after 89% of Unite members, voting in branch and workplace consultative ballots, voted to reject the offer and 86% voted in favour of strike action.

Unite, UCU, Unison and EIS trade unions will follow the same balloting timeline and will campaign jointly to secure strong YES votes from their members in their ballots.

Please read the joint statement issued by the JNCHES unions following their meeting on Tuesday 9 September 2025.

With Retail Price Inflation (RPI) running at 4.8% (July 2025), UCEA’s 1.4% pay offer is a real terms’ pay cut and compares poorly with pay awards in similar sectors, such as teachers (4%). Higher education workers deserve better.

Unite and the JNCHES unions will continue to call on UCEA to return to the negotiating table to secure a better pay deal for all our members.

In addition, we will work jointly to lobby the UK and devolved governments over low pay in the sector and chronic underfunding of higher education more generally. Which we believe is at the root of many of the problems the sector is currently facing.

STAY UP TO DATE

Further information about the industrial action ballots will be available through your branch and we will also update this website throughout the 2025-26 pay campaign

Voting will be by post, to get a vote, please ensure that your Unite membership details, including postal address are up-to-date. Go to MyUnite to update your details.

                                                                                                                                                       

REMINDER FROM JULY: Two dispute meetings were held on 30 June and 2 July in accordance with the JNCHES agreement.

JNCHES unions tabled five areas of dispute. The most important of which was the level of the pay uplift (1.4%). The other areas of dispute were, term time only contracts, post 92 academic contracts, job security and Higher Education funding.

Following the two meetings JNCHES unions received a 'full and final offer letter from UCEA, read the letter here setting out their position on all elements of the JNCHES unions claim after the two dispute meetings. UCEA refuses to increase the 1.4% pay offer, blaming the financial state of the Higher Education sector as the main reason for that decision.

The NISC met on Thursday 3 July 2025 and concluded:

  • Reiterated its position that the current UCEA pay offer of 1.4% is completely unacceptable
  • Confirmed the recommendation to Unite member to reject the pay offer and vote to be balloted on industrial action in the consultative ballots currently being undertaken by HE branches and workplaces
  • Agreed to meet on Friday 25 July 2025 to consider the results of the Unite consultative ballots and determine next steps.

Unite's consultative branch led ballots closed on 18 July.

                                                                                                                                            

REMINDER FROM JUNE: the Universities, and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) wrote to the five trade unions to confirm the full and final offer of 1.4%. The letter (click here to view) sets out the offer and addresses all elements of the joint trade union’s 2025/26 pay claim.

UCEA's pay offer: 

  • Uplift of 1.4% on each point of the NEW JNCHES pay spine from 1 August 2025.
  • Deletion of spine points 5 and 6 of the New JNCHES pay spine. UCEA maintains this will result in an uplift of 2.2% for staff on those points.
  • 1.4% uplift would be applied to any adjustments Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have made to comply with the National Living Wage (NLW) rate, as of 1 April 2025, of £12.21 an hour. 

Please look at JNCHES revised pay scale to see how UCEA's pay offer impacts your current salary.

 Unite's consultative pay ballot opens 16 June. Closes 18 July

UNITE SAYS REJECT!

Unite opens workplace and branch consultative ballots for members working in Higher Education in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.  

Members are being asked two questions: Unite says vote YES, YES!

  1. Do you reject the UCEA pay offer? 
  2. Are you prepared to take industrial action?

Please read the letter, dated June 2025, from Unite National Officer, Andy Murray for the education sector. 

Stay updated! 

READ: JNCHES unions’ negotiations joint statement – highlighting that UCEA’s 1.4% pay offer is real terms pay cut of about 1.8% (relative to RPI in March 2025). April 2025 RPI figure is 4.5%.

JOINT TIMETABLE: Unite will be working with our sister unions, UCU, Unison, GMB and EIS on a common timetable for consulting, balloting and ultimately taking industrial action jointly.