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The Universities and Colleges Employers Association has increased its pay offer to 0.5 per cent, after the latest meeting of the new Joint Negotiating Committee for Higher Education Staff (JNCHES).

Ucea said its meeting with campus trade unions Unison, Unite, GMB, the 51¹ú²úÊÓƵ and College Union and EIS today was the final JNCHES meeting in 2009-10.

¡°The employers built upon earlier constructive proposals on a wide range of issues raised by the five trade unions and put forward their final pay offer of 0.5 per cent for the year 1 August 2009 to 31 July 2010. This final offer, improving on the 0.4 per cent offer made on 19 May, is considered, realistic, responsible and credible under the current circumstances, and set against stringent limits of affordability in the sector and in the context of the exceptional pay increases last year,¡± Ucea said.

melanie.newman@tsleducation.com