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The University is pleased to confirm that pay for University of Sussex staff will increase from the August payroll.

UCEA, which represents university employers in national pay negotiations, has advised that their final offer for the 2019-20 pay uplift should now be implemented.

The final employer offer, made on 30 April, includes an award of 1.8 per cent with weighting of up to 3.65 per cent for staff on lower pay spine points.

The level of award, however, remains in dispute and the final offer has been rejected by the three main trade unions recognised by the University.

The base pay uplift due to colleagues from August was the subject of extensive negotiations held between UCEA and the unions in March and April this year.

Like most universities, Sussex has decided to implement the uplift now so that colleagues can benefit from the uplift in salary as soon as possible. Whilst the University faces real financial challenges for a variety of reasons, we want to do whatever we can to support our staff, especially those on lower grades.

The University’s position is that this uplift is already at the limits of what is affordable for Sussex, and that going beyond this would dramatically damage the University’s ability to invest and make the changes needed to secure our future as a leading University.

Of course, if the national negotiations end up with a different final settlement, the University would implement this and backdate it to the start of the academic year.

The uplift is in addition to the incremental increase that many staff will receive in October as a result of moving up the pay spine.