Westminster Diary

A REPORT about pay and conditions in higher education, published last year, sparked anguish in some quarters, glee in others. The committee responsible for the Independent Review of Higher Education Pay and Conditions consisted of representatives of academic staff trade unions, employers and independent members, and was chaired by Michael Bett, the chairman of telecoms giant Cellnet. Its recommendations covered future mechanisms for determining pay and conditions, management and staff development, action against sex discrimination and much more. Above all, it emphasised that recruitment and retention of academic staff in higher education will continue to be problematic if salary levels…