Lecturers' strikes have an effect

Strike action by lecturers last month has forced a number of further education (FE) colleges to implement a national pay deal.

The agreement was meant to deliver a 3% pay rise from August 2004, and a move to a new pay structure. However, it was left for individual colleges to implement the deal, and many have failed to do so.

This prompted members of the NATFHE lecturers' union to take strike action on 24 February and 1 March - with the result that 21% of colleges have now agreed to implementation, and others are to enter into what the union calls "constructive talks".

By mid-March, the threat of further strikes had brought all but 10 colleges to the negotiating table. Strike action at the remaining 10 was to take place on 15 and 16 March.