College lecturers fight for pay deal

ON 15 and 16 March, college lecturers and members of the NATFHE union, took strike action. They were fighting to secure the implementation of the national two-year pay deal, which some further education colleges are refusing to pay.

IN SHEFFIELD the chair of the Joint College Union Co-ordinating Committee Clive Hartley said: "It's a long-running serial called 'the college that can pay but won't pay!'"

Branch secretary, Jenny Prideaux, explained that the management had praised the staff for turning the college round over the last four years but were refusing to agree a timetable to implement the deal to 'close the gap' with schoolteachers' pay.

"You can't spend praise at the shops" quipped Clive. "No wonder they can't recruit young lecturers. The Association of Colleges has admitted that 96% of them have unfilled vacancies, up from 87% last year."

Socialist Party members visited picket lines on both days at Castle and Norton colleges, selling seven copies of the socialist. The lecturers realised that more strike action would be necessary but are determined. "We won't take no for an answer!"

LECTURERS AT Harrow College in north London found management had phoned the police to complain that the lecturers were making far too much noise! Management also could not cope with students showing their support for the teaching staff.

Marc Vallee, Harrow NATFHE, personal capacity

There were drums and a sound system booming out Clash songs, staff making a film of the picket line, photography students shooting, art students making banners and placards in support of lecturers and politics students getting a first-hand experience of the nature of class politics.

This all created an up-beat, positive and great mood on a very large picket line with staff and students uniting.

We showed management that the teaching staff and students are the ones that truly care about the future of education and not a management that runs the college with out-dated and unworkable business methods.

This action has to be the start of an escalating programme of industrial action to make sure the deal is implemented in full.

Lecturers must stand firm.
Escalate the action if college management don't back down.
Bring out all NATFHE members in future action.
For the pay deal and structure to be implemented in full.

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