Teachers on strike on a NEU picket line

National Education Union (NEU) members who teach in 32 sixth form colleges are set to stage three days of strike action in a dispute over pay and funding. On a turnout of 62%, 97% of members voted in favour of strike action.

Members are set to walk out on 28 November, 3 December and 4 December.

Whilst academised sixth form colleges have been guaranteed funding to implement the same 5.5% pay award as offered to school teachers, this has not been the case for non-academised sixth form colleges.

The NEU says that despite its efforts to resolve the dispute through clarification from the Secretary of State for Education that non-academised sixth form colleges could utilise the additional funding allocated to the sector in the budget for staff pay, no such clarification has been received.

Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said:

 “We have given the Government every opportunity to sensibly resolve this avoidable dispute. The recent comments of Jacqui Smith that she would wish to see college pay rises match those within schools are welcome and we remain hopeful that the Government will guarantee that colleges may utilise additional funding now allocated to them for staff pay. Over 2,000 NEU sixth form college teachers stand ready and will not hesitate to take strike action to win a fair pay award for every college.

“Our dispute has highlighted the lack of care shown to the further education sector as a whole and the urgent need to bring up college staff pay up to at least the same level as in schools. We remain concerned by the disregard shown by the DfE to the longstanding, effective collective bargaining arrangements in sixth form colleges and would expect that this situation would not arise in future.

“No teacher wants to take strike action. The NEU remains open to negotiation.

“It is time for the Government to put this right. The money is clearly there for a fair, above-inflation pay award for all sixth form college teachers and our members will stand firm until they get pay justice.”

Image credit: Fotologic – Creative Commons