HUMANE

Heads of University Management & Administration Network in Europe

SEMINAR

Universidade de Lisboa

Friday 24th to Saturday 25th March 2006

Human Resources and Pay Frameworks

Abstracts

 

 

Session 1 -Presentation of the Portuguese system of University staff management and pay framework

Margarida Mano, Universidade de Coimbra (PT)

 

Abstract not received

 

 

Session 2 -Presentation of the French system of University staff management and pay framework. Joint presentation by:

François Paquis, Université Blaise Pascal, Clermond-Ferrand, President of French Association of University secretary-generals

Magadalena Miatello, Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Arts et Métiers

Marylène Meston de Ren, Ecole Normal Supérieure, Paris

Gérard Cordier, Ecole Nationale Supérieur de Mécanique de Paris (FR)

 

The French system of University staff management and pay framework is basically depending of the French system of civil service. Most of academic and non academic employees are civil servants recruited generally by national selective examinations, appointed by the ministry of higher education and their wages are paid by the budget of the State and not by the special budget of each university.

 

Because of that national framework careers and pays depend mainly from national regulation and the opportunities of each university to have an active local policy towards personnel are weak.

 

But in spite of this great centralization and a very strait legal framework, French universities have a part of influence on recruitment and career processes .And this part of autonomy is growing both because of the Civil service modernization plans which are implementing by the French government and because of a lot of measures which tend to give more administrative and financial autonomy to universities.

 

Session 3 – University Human Resources and Pay Framesorks in the Czech Republic

Tomáš Kopřiva, Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague (CZ)

 

Key moment in the history of payment scheme on Czech HEI was the year 1998, when the new Higher Education Act No 111/1998 was adopted. Until this breaking event were all HEI state bodies and all university staff member depend on civil service rules. After 1998 became universities and HEI´s public entities with their own rules and regulations according common law (Act No 1/1992 on Wages, Recompense for Work Preparedness and Average Earnings).


 

The new HE Act made also crucial dividing of university staff into two groups: academics and “the others” i.e. non academic staff. Only the first category (academics) has possibility to elect university representation – Academic Senate, which is the only authority with power to create internal university regulation including wage regulations.

 

As an independent public body each university can choose its own recruitment and career strategy. The university is the direct employer. The university has free choice of its staff, only HE Act contains some regulations concerning to academic staff. Of course, there are common regulations of Code of Labor Law. There is no problem with recruiting of staff in the Czech Republic, but there are very tough rules and limitations in a case of ending of employment, dismissing and replacing. A trend depends on national political representation – in these days there is in power socialistic coalition with inclination to make more and strict laws with goal to protect the employees and to enchain the employers.

 

Former national pay system of civil service which was applied on the universities before 1998 was established on scales of tariff categories according achieved qualification. In each tariff category (so called tariff class) was so called tariff level depending on the time spending in one type of occupation  - seniority (so called time automat). In addition to tariff there was possibility to pay to the staff so called personal wage supplement up to 20 % of the basic tariff.

 

The new HE Act has given the each university a possibility to create its own pay system. Nowadays each university in the Czech Republic applies its own pay scheme – internal wage regulation system. These regulations are proposed by rector and approved by Academic Senate – by people of 1st category (in presentation I’ll discuss dependency of “other staff” on academics). These regulation differ one from another – there are some very similar as the old ones with time automat, on the other hand there are some regulations in which no age and seniority are playing key role, but the achieved academic grade (lecturer, assistant, fellow, college lecturer (in CZ called associated professor, equivalent of German Dozent), professor) and (in case of non academics) their skills, work experience and references.

 

Generally we can say that regulations contain three categories of university staff:

·        academics including university professors,

·        administrative and technical staff,

·        researchers.

There is a possibility to make individual contracts with some exceptional employees – IT specialists, registrar, vice-rectors, deans etc.

Regulations usually use system of tariff categories plus condition of using of personal wage supplement (generally up to 100 % of tariff). In presentation I’ll show the case of my university.

           

The tariff plus personal wage supplement are called basic earnings. There is also opportunity for both academics and other staff as well to obtain extra pay (bonuses, premiums) for some activities:

·                                R & D projects,

·                                so called research intentions (huge 5 years projects paid by ministry of education)

·                                research contracts with industry or another partners,

·                                vocational training,

·                                EU projects (6th FWP, European Social Fund),

·                                state projects (so called departmental grants),

·                                etc.


 

 

Incentives could make as much as twice or tree times more than basic earnings. There is also opportunity to share profit from patents, licenses and sale of know-how. Generally we can say that there is more possibility for incentives and the other types of extra money at research universities, particularly at technical research universities.

 

 

Session 4 -Increasing autonomy of Universities and reform of staff and pay framework in Iceland

Gudmundur Ragnarsson, Iceland University of Education (IS)

 

Increased autonomy of universities in Iceland has brought them increased authority to select and recruit all staff including academic staff. This however conditioned by general law on universities and also general law for civil servants.

 

The ministry of finance negotiates wage contracts with the trade unions but each university negotiates an additional agreement which defines wages and terms in more detail.

 

The university/trade union (professors union) contract includes among other things rules for promotion which are based on performance . The contract also includes rules for bonus payments etc…

 

The discussion of gender equality is an important issue in Iceland and a recent study shows that at the Iceland University of Education there is very little if any difference in wages between the genders. This results in interesting because quite often in other studies there are significant differences.

 

Session 5 - Presentation of the University staff and pay framework in the Republic of Ireland

Michael Gleeson, Trinity College, Dublin (IE)

 

In Ireland, the Universities are independent within overall university legislation.  They are the direct employers of their staff and have autonomy in this regard.  University legislation requires that salary levels for different grades in universities must be approved by the Ministry of Education. The salary scales have a relationship with grades in the Public service, and overall salaries are negotiated at national level.

 

There is provision for salary scales outside of the national levels, and this will be described.

 

The relationship between the salaries, academic and administrative and support staff will be shown. 

 

The College operates both an internal promotion system up to Professional level, but more normally appoints to Professional level after international competition.

 

For the most senior leadership posts in the university, the issue of performance related pay is being considered – however, the experience in Ireland in regard to performance related pay for Public service appointees is uneven, mirroring the position in the OECD.


 

Universities are also responsible for superannuation (pension matters) and in many cases, private pension funds are managed by the institutions.  The level of funding of these superannuation schemes is likely to be a major problem in the coming years

 

Part 2. Current technical aspects

 

Session 6 - Evolutions in Italian University pay system

Pasquale Mastrodomenico, Università degli Studi del Piemonte Orientale "Amedeo Avogadro (IT)

 

The aim of this talk is to present the consequences that Italian Universities have faced, in their competences and organization, after the evolution process pf the pay system from the Eighties onwards.

 

The complexity is mainly due to the distinctions between professors, researchers and technical-administrative staff as well. The differences in terms of recruitment, career, duties and retirement play a substantial role in building the whole system; the coexistence of the national establishment and local rules increases the difficulties of managing the pay methods.

 

The balance of necessities, goals, incentives and results is a continuous challenge!

 

 

Session 7 -Human resources strategies and compensation plans 

Ines Fabbro, Università di Bologna (IT)

 

HR strategies have repercussions and consequences on the most administrative and economical aspects of personnel management .

There are systems ,as well as organisational solutions and tools, that can support university managers in fostering equity in HR development, always in respect of the mission and long-term strategy of our institutions.

2 case studies will be examined :

- Personnel spending Simulator

- Project on equity of salary Plans

 

 

Session 8 – The University Pay System Reform in Finland

Roger Broo, Åbo Akademi University (FI)

 

Abstract not received

 

Session 9 - Presentation of a reward model for administration staff linking some payments to performance indicators

José-Luis Moraga, Universitad de Castilla-La Mancha (ES)

 

 

Abstract not received