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I was surprised that Patricia Santinelli's article "Unions signal summer of disputes as employers look again at pay offer" (THES, June 16) referred only to lecturing staff. Completely absent was the news that three bargaining groups representing 70,000 non-teaching staff in old and new universities had rejected the same "derisory" 2.5 per cent pay offer as lecturing staff.

Unison's higher education conference on June 16 carried a motion giving the national negotiators a "clear mandate to press the pay and conditions claims" and calling for "any action necessary up to and including industrial action".

The conference carried other motions, for example calling for public accountability in higher education, which are just as relevant and newsworthy as issues emanating from the lecturing world.

Elaine Harrison

Head of higher education

Unison