UCU members at Croydon College win significant pay rise

The pay award means those earning under £25k will see their pay rise by 8%, and those earning between £25k and £40k, including lecturers, will see their pay rise by 5%.

The deal comes after 89.9% of UCU members in national ballots voted YES to strike action on an overall turnout of 57.9%, which is the biggest mandate for industrial action ever across English further education colleges.

Strike action was suspended at Croydon College after the offer was made but went ahead this week at 17 colleges, with a further 12 set to join the strike next week.

Staff at eight further colleges also have mandates to strike but are not yet going forward with action. Should these colleges fail to make staff suitable pay offers, industrial action could follow.

The deal at Croydon also includes a commitment from management to always use resources to prioritise staff pay, to look at workloads and to create joint working groups with UCU that will aim to improve career progression for learning support workers and technicians.

UCU regional official Adam Lincoln said: 'This deal is the result of determined organising from our members at Croydon College. We are always willing to negotiate fairly with management and we thank the college leadership team for their serious engagement with UCU in negotiating this agreement. The deal we have reached shows exactly what can be achieved when our members stand together.'

'We are in the midst of a cost of living crisis and our members in further education are taking action like never before with around 4,000 staff hitting colleges across England with strikes. There are up to seven days of strikes still set to take place over the next three weeks. Employers urgently need to make improved offers that address the cost of living crisis. If they fail to do so, they will face further disruption.'