All of Oxford University’s full-time staff are set to be given £1,000 as a one-off bonus to acknowledge the “challenges” of the pandemic, but a union has said this is not “sufficient”.

Staff were told about the bonus in an email on Tuesday from the vice-chancellor Louise Richardson.

The bonus will be paid in July for staff who were in post on April 30, and part-time staff will get a pro-rata payment.

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Staff who are employed by Oxford's university colleges will not receive the payment, but it will be made to those who are employed jointly by colleges and the university.

The university announced the £1,000 payment to all its staff “in gratitude for their commitment and dedication through difficult times.”

Oxford University said: “The payment acknowledges the hard work and many achievements of staff through the challenges of the pandemic, and also recognises that many staff are facing financial difficulty in the current economic climate.”

Oxford Mail:

Prof Richardson added: "We are acutely conscious of the effects of rising inflation and pension changes and we know that this payment will not fully mitigate the challenges of the national economic climate.

"Nevertheless, we wish to take this opportunity simply to say 'thank you' to our wonderful staff who make this institution what it is today."

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However, Oxford University and College Union (UCU) has said this payment is not “sufficient”.

In a statement on Twitter addressed to university staff on Tuesday, the union said: “Given the scale of the cost-of-living crisis, we welcome today’s announcement of a one-off payment that many— but not all— of our colleagues at Oxford will receive.

“The payment is an implicit admission that many of you employed at a world-leading university are facing financial difficulties.

“This is because, even before the current crisis, your pay has not kept up with inflation and your pension (if you have one) has been cut.”

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The Oxford UCU added: “Even when the one-off payment is taken into account, you will receive a lower real-terms pay this year than last. The payment announced today is a symptom of the underlying problem: you are not being paid fairly.”

This statement comes after UCU said that since 2009, university pay has effectively been cut by 20 per cent in real terms after several sub-inflationary pay rises.

In February, lecturers at Oxford Brookes University went on strike over pay, workloads, and inequality.

Following Tuesday’s statement, the UCU said it would like to see Oxford University “make better use of its unique position” and ensure a “fairer lasting outcome” in the national pay negotiations for all staff in UK higher education.

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This story was written by Rebecca Whittaker, she joined the team in 2019 as a multimedia reporter.

Rebecca covers education and news in Abingdon and Wantage.

Get in touch with her by emailing: Rebecca.Whittaker@newquest.co.uk or calling 07824524333

Follow her on Twitter @RebecWhitt

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