Dear Member
The EIS ULA consultative ballot is entering into its fourth week, and it is important that every member votes. A strong vote for industrial action in pursuit of an improved pay offer is the only way left to university staff now to get a decent pay rise.
Universities are pleading poverty. They say they can’t afford a better pay rise. They claim that below inflation pay offers are necessary as the financial health of the sector cannot sustain more.
The EIS has gone through the financial statements of all the Scottish Universities and HEIs, and your employers’ claims are simply not supported by evidence. Scottish Universities (inc. all HEIs) have combined reserves of £5.50 billion according to their 2020/21 published accounts. That is a record figure. In 2019/20 their reserves were £4.75 billion. That means that their reserves increased by £750m in one year alone, no doubt helped by the pay freeze they imposed on you! In other words, part of their increased reserves is built on using funds that could and should have been used to give a pay uplift in 2020-21.
The fact is the Universities are making a choice, and their accounts prove it. Their choice is to build reserves and prioritise other expenditure rather than paying staff fairly. Put simply, universities can afford to pay staff properly. They are just choosing not to do so.
Amidst the cost-of-living crisis, it’s more important than ever to take action to protect the value of your pay packet and you can start this fightback by voting today.
A summary of the ‘total reserves’ for Scottish HEIs is listed below:
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Total Reserves
2019-20 (£)
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Total Reserves
2020-21 (£)
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Edinburgh Napier University
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21,173,000
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44,851,000
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Glasgow Caledonian University
|
110,252,000
|
117,753,000
|
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Glasgow School of Art
|
33,739,000
|
34,102,000
|
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Heriot-Watt University
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43,122,000
|
62,589,000
|
|
Queen Margaret University
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62,953,000
|
73,700,000
|
|
Robert Gordon University
|
135,932,000
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171,933,000
|
|
Royal Conservatoire of Scotland
|
19,810,000
|
20,491,000
|
|
SRUC
|
10,634,000
|
7,076,000
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University of Aberdeen
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347,241,000
|
389,343,000
|
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University of Abertay
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19,926,000
|
35,005,000
|
|
University of Dundee
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144,392,000
|
202,337,000
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University of Edinburgh
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2,168,000,000
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2,406,200,000
|
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University of Glasgow
|
864,581,000
|
1,007,997,000
|
|
University of Highlands and Islands
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-11,799,000
|
-11,206,000
|
|
University of St Andrews
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308,916,000
|
376,463,000
|
|
University of Stirling
|
135,931,000
|
159,070,000
|
|
University of Strathclyde
|
319,000,000
|
342,600,000
|
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University of the West of Scotland
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24,610,000
|
60,857,000
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Totals
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4,758,413,000
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5,501,161,000
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