Strikes underway across FE

University and College Union (UCU) members at six colleges took further strike action in October as their dispute over fair pay continued.

This was the latest action in the dispute by workers at 13 further education colleges who are demanding more than the current 1% pay offer from the further education employer body, the Association of Colleges, made in December 2020. The colleges affected by the strikes are: City of Liverpool; Croydon College; Lambeth college; City & Islington College; Westminster Kingsway College; and College of North East London.

Action was called off at City of Bristol College, Weymouth College and New College Swindon after management offered last minute deals. The Weymouth workers accepted a 2.2% backdated rise and the other two offers are still being considered. At South Thames College, Merton College, Carshalton College and Kingston College, further negotiations are taking place.

At all sites, the union is demanding a pay increase of greater than 5% in an effort to close the school-college pay gap, which currently stands at £9,000, and to begin to address what it says has been a 30% pay cut in real terms over the last decade.