The Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), which negotiates national pay agreements on behalf of participating higher education institutions, has advised employers to implement the final offer made during the pay negotiations. This follows the conclusion of the New JNCHES Dispute Resolution Process with trade unions.
The pay award is a 2% increase to all points on the national pay spine, effective from 1 August 2026. This will be processed in the November payroll, and eligible staff will receive the increase retrospectively, backdated to this date.
The 2026/27 negotiations took place against a backdrop of significant financial challenges across the higher education sector. While the dispute resolution process did not result in any changes to the original offer, the negotiations included a commitment by employers and trade unions to undertake a joint review of the national pay spine.
As a Real Living Wage employer, the University is committed to fair and equitable pay reflecting our wider People & Culture priorities. Through our Loughborough Real Living Wage (LRLW) Supplement, we support colleagues on lower salary points. We are currently resolving any implications of the revised national pay spine for colleagues receiving the supplement as part of the implementation process.
We will provide a further update once implementation arrangements have been finalised and updated salary scales are available.