Growing numbers of UK universities are paying staff one-off bonuses to help them cope with the rising cost of living, but unions say they will do little to deter members’ enthusiasm for strikes.
The University of Greenwich has become the latest to announce that staff will receive a £1,000 payment in addition to their regular salary this month to help with energy bills, which are set to increase to £2,500 a year on average in October.
Manchester Metropolitan University has handed most staff an additional 2 per cent rise for the year, while the University of Leeds awarded £650 bonuses to lower-paid members of staff in July.
