Dispute declared with FE college employers

The AoC made a pay recommendation of 4% for those colleges that can afford to pay it. Many colleges do not follow the AoC recommendation and there is no obligation on employers to implement the uplift as national bargaining outcomes are not binding.

There was no meaningful response from the AoC to the unions' demands. In summary:

• 4% does not close the growing pay gap with schoolteachers pay or start to make good the losses in pay over recent years
• excessive workloads have not been addressed
• we need fully funded and binding national bargaining in further education.

In line with the decisions made by delegates at UCU's further education sector conference (FESC) in May 2025, UCU will now move to set out disputes with England FE employers. Trade dispute letters have been sent to employers on Friday 19 September 2025. We set out our demands to college leaders and put them on notice that if they do not respond meaningfully, then the next step will be UCU moving to ballot thousands of members in England FE.

College leaders now have a clear choice; make a serious offer or the sector will be hit hard with industrial action this autumn.

Click here for the latest updates on the New Deal for FE.

Click here for the list of FE England colleges in dispute.