Good prospects for a single recognition deal for research council staff
Specialists’ union Prospect has reached an important recognition deal on behalf of 7,500 staff at a new research umbrella organisation.
The agreement follows a major restructure which has seen the merger of seven existing research councils plus Innovate UK and the newly created Research England into one body, UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), with a £6 billion budget.
The seven research councils include four in which Prospect has traditionally represented staff. However, the union said the unification of all these agencies present an opportunity for a single recognition agreement, allowing Prospect to represent employees across the whole new body.
National officer Tony Bell said: “This is a really positive first step for this newly created high profile organisation which has many ambitious aims. One of the best ways of ensuring that the organisation is able to deliver on these expectations is to listen to the workforce. Prospect is looking forward to building a productive relationship with UKRI going forward.”
There are now at least five different pay structures within UKRI and, with single recognition in place, Prospect is in a position to start working towards a unified set of terms and conditions and equal pay.