19 March 2004
The impasse in the universities' pay dispute was broken this week when the TUC hosted talks between union leaders and employers' representatives.
The Association of University Teachers has claimed it has not been in discussions with the Universities and Colleges Employers Association since talks over a new national pay framework broke down last year. But both sides attended meetings hosted by TUC general secretary Brendan Barber on March 15 and 16.
A TUC statement, released on March 17, revealed that guarded discussions had been ongoing. 'Following these talks, Brendan Barber will be writing to AUT and UCEA setting out jointly agreed positive proposals, which it is hoped will form the basis for a rapid resolution of the current dispute,' it read.
AUT leader Sally Hunt was among the representatives for the higher education union, while UCEA officials confirmed it was represented by chair Geoffrey Copland and chief executive Jocelyn Prudence.
As Public Finance went to press, it was unclear what had been discussed, but a source close to the talks said on March 16: 'There must have been progress towards a settlement or both sides would have left the table yesterday.'
PFmar2004
