Sixth form college teachers to stage three more days of strikes in pay dispute
National Education Union teacher members at 32 non-academised sixth form colleges have already taken four days of strike action this academic year.
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Your support makes all the difference.Sixth form college teachers in England will resume strike action this week in a dispute over pay.
National Education Union (NEU) teacher members at 32 non-academised sixth form colleges will walk out for three consecutive days from Tuesday in a fight for a fully funded above-inflation pay increase.
It comes after NEU members staged four days of strike action in November and December.
It creates precisely the two-tier pay system that NEU college teachers are taking protracted strike action to prevent
The Government announced in July that teachers and leaders in England will receive a fully funded 5.5% pay rise this academic year.
Although sixth form colleges with academy status have been guaranteed funding to implement the pay offer for staff, this is not the case for those which have not become academies, the union said.
Teachers in non-academised sixth form colleges have been presented with an “inferior pay offer” compared with their peers, according to the NEU.
Since the last day of strike action last month, the Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) has offered teachers in non-academised sixth form colleges 3.5% for September to April, and 5.5% from April, the union said.
These teachers will lag behind their peers in academised colleges by 2% for seven months, which creates a “two-tier” pay system, the NEU warned.
Around 2,000 teacher members are expected to take part in the strike action at the start of term.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said: “The teaching profession was awarded a 5.5% award last year and the Government made an error in excluding non-academised sixth form colleges.
We are disappointed that the NEU is proceeding with three further days of strike action this month
“It creates precisely the two-tier pay system that NEU college teachers are taking protracted strike action to prevent.
“It could easily be fixed, and making up the difference would be very small beer – around £1.5 million in Government spending.
“This isn’t just about fairness.
“Colleges are suffering from a recruitment and retention crisis.
“To attract, recruit and retain teachers, it is absolutely vital to deliver pay parity.
“We will never accept the injustice of a situation in which college teachers are paid different amounts for the same work.”
Bill Watkin, chief executive of the SFCA, said: “We are disappointed that the NEU is proceeding with three further days of strike action this month, but we are committed to working with union leaders to avoid any further disruption to young people’s education and to ensure that sixth form college staff get a fair deal from the Government on this issue.”
A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: “Ensuring people have the skills they need for the future is crucial to this Government’s number one mission to grow the economy.
“We recognise the vital role that further education, including sixth form colleges, plays in this.
“Sixth form colleges are responsible for the setting of appropriate pay for their workforce and for managing their own industrial relations.
“The October Budget provided an additional £300 million revenue funding for further education to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs.
“The department will set out in due course how this funding will be distributed.”