David Kaplan, WM College UCU, personal capacity
On 17 September, the University and College Union (UCU), along with other further education (FE) unions, met with the employers’ representative, the Association of Colleges (AoC). And although the AoC made a pay recommendation of 4% for those colleges ‘that can afford it’, there is no obligation on employers to implement the rise because there is no national pay bargaining. The recommendation is not binding.
As a result, UCU is planning to organise national strike action, fighting for national pay bargaining and a guaranteed, fully funded, above-inflation pay rise.
UCU recognises that terms and conditions of its members fall well short of workers in schools and sixth-form colleges. It is calling for salaries for FE teachers to start at £30,000, for a 10% or £3,000 pay rise, whichever is the greater, and for parity with schoolteachers.
I held a meeting of UCU members at my own college on 11 September, to vote on whether or not to take part in the national ballot. There was an overwhelming vote in favour of taking part, with some members abstaining rather than voting against.
College staff who aren’t already in the union, seeing the UCU standing up to Starmer’s government, will want to join in the action; branch secretaries and workplace reps should see this as an opportunity to build the union and strengthen the national industrial action.
The National Education Union (NEU) grew its membership in schools on the basis of national action to defend the health and safety of students and staff in schools during the Covid pandemic in January 2021. And in early 2023, their membership increased again, because of national action around the demand of a fully funded, above-inflation pay rise.
UCU members in over 100 FE colleges in England, including adult education colleges like mine, will receive a postal ballot. Branch secretaries and workplace reps need to build the turnout, to give the union the biggest possible mandate for industrial action.
