Letter from the Chairman to Dr Geoffrey
Copland, Chair, Universities and Colleges Employers' Association
(UCEA)
UCEA COMMENTS ON
MEETING WITH
EDUCATION AND
SKILLS COMMITTEE,
17 MAY
I am writing to express my deep concern at the
way in which UCEA sought to portray aspects of the meeting which
the Education and Skills Committee held with the employers and
unions on the university pay dispute yesterday.
I made it clear at the outset of the meeting
and throughout that we were not seeking to act as arbitrators
or to take sides but to hear from both employers and unions about
the current position in the dispute. Therefore when I saw the
UCEA press notice on Wednesday afternoon with the headline "Select
Committee adds voice to requests for unions to ballot members",
I was both shocked and angry. It is absolutely unacceptable for
witnesses before the Committee to behave in this way, saying that
the Committee had expressed views when it had not done so. Nothing
could be more calculated to undermine the employers' credibility
and to give credence to the unions' side of the story.
I have now received a letter of apology from
Jocelyn Prudence, which I shall circulate to other members. The
Committee will be discussing this issue at its meeting on Monday.
There is a very real likelihood that we shall ask you and your
colleagues to return to the Committee on Wednesday 24 May at 9.30
am to explain UCEA's actions, and I expect you to hold yourself
ready to do so.
Barry Sheerman MP
Chairman
18 May 2006
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