Vice-chancellor Louise Richardson declared that every full-time member of staff employed by Oxford University during the pandemic will earn a £1,000 one-off payment, to be received in July.
Announcing the news via email on Tuesday, Prof Richardson wrote: ‘we wish to take this opportunity to simply say ‘thank you’ to our wonderful staff who make this institution what it is today.’
The University followed up on the email with an announcement, stating: ‘The payment acknowledges the hard work and many achievements of staff through the challenges of the pandemic, and also recognizes that many staff are facing financial difficulty in the current economic climate.’
While welcoming the recent announcement, Oxford University and College Union (UCU) responded by calling the payment ‘not sufficient’.
In an announcement made on their blog, they highlighted the fact that the university’s wages have not matched inflation rates, even pre-pandemic, with the 3% wage increase falling far behind the 11.1% rate of inflation.
They also pointed out the distinction that only university-wide staff will receive the bonus, omitting college-only staff, many of whom are working below the Oxford living wage, despite the university’s pledge to pay them the £10.31 an hour liveable wage.