16 OCT 2023
Strikes Loom as College Staff Seek Fair Pay
Staff at 32 colleges have voted to strike over low pay – but half of those balloted for national action failed to meet the turnout threshold.
The UCU balloted a total of 89 colleges. However, only 32 of these institutions met the legal requirement of a 50% turnout to validate the strike vote. Interestingly, while 13 colleges resolved their disputes through pay offers, reaching up to 8.5%, 43 colleges failed to meet the crucial half-way mark. Another key development saw North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College suspending their vote following a pay offer made shortly after the commencement of the ballot.
The UCU has been vocal in its criticism, labelling the 50% threshold as "anti-trade union." In a revealing statistic, they noted that of those who did vote, a staggering 90% supported the strike action. The union's demands are multifaceted. They are calling for a pay increment that outpaces the RPI inflation, a comprehensive national workload agreement, and a commitment to definitive national pay negotiations.
The Association of Colleges (AoC) has responded to this unrest by suggesting a 6.5% pay rise for staff members, aligning with what school teachers are currently being offered. Jo Grady, the UCU's general secretary, stressed the need for appropriate compensation, commenting on the challenge of maintaining educational quality when staff struggle with basic living costs.
However, the situation isn't just black and white. David Hughes, the AoC's chief executive, expressed disappointment at UCU's decision to press on with the ballot, especially after the proposed pay raise. He underlined the complex realities of distributing the suggested 6.5% raise, attributing challenges to the varied ways in which funding has been apportioned among colleges. Hughes remains optimistic, suggesting that the lower turnout in many colleges is indicative of a broader satisfaction with the proposed pay settlement. As tensions continue to mount, the UCU's further education committee is expected to meet soon, casting a determining vote on the future course of action.
Colleges that beat the 50% threshold and voted yes to strike:
Abingdon & Witney College,
Bath College,
Bolton College,
Bournemouth & Poole College,
Brockenhurst College,
Burton and South Derbyshire College,
Calderdale College,
Cambridge Regional College,
Capital City College Group,
City of Bristol College,
City of Wolverhampton College,
Colchester Institute,
Craven College,
Croydon College,
Farnborough College of Technology,
Furness College,
Gloucestershire College,
Hugh Baird College,
Isle of Wight College,
Loughborough College,
Myerscough College,
New College Swindon,
Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group,
Nottingham College,
Petroc,
Runshaw College,
South Thames College,
The City of Liverpool College,
The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group,
Warrington & Vale Royal College,
Weymouth College,
Windsor Forest Colleges Group,
Colleges where UCU has now settled its dispute:
Bishop Auckland College
Bury College
Cheshire College
Dudley College
Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College
East Durham College
Exeter College
Leeds College of Building
Middlesborough College
City College Plymouth
Stoke on Trent College
Wiltshire College
Yeovil College
Colleges that failed to hit the 50% turnout threshold:
Activate Learning
Askham Bryan College
Blackburn College
Blackpool and The Fylde College
Bridgwater and Taunton College
Brooklands College
Burnley College
Chelmsford College
Chesterfield College
Chichester College Group
College of West Anglia
Darlington College
Derby College
DN Colleges Group
East Coast College
East Sussex College Group
Heart of Worcestershire College
Lambeth College
Leicester College
Mid Kent College
Milton Keynes College
Nelson & Colne College Group
New City College
New College Durham
Northampton College
Oaklands College
Orbital South Colleges
Plumpton College
SK College Group
South & City College Birmingham
South Devon College
South Essex College
South Gloucestershire & Stroud College
Sparsholt College
Strode College
Suffolk New College
Tameside College of Technology
TEC Partnership
Truro & Penwith College
Walsall College
Weston College
Wigan and Leigh College
Wirral Metropolitan College