Strikes off at Runshaw College as staff win 7% pay award

The win, coming after York College UCU resolved its dispute last week, means the union has now settled at 20 colleges since launching its ballot in October.

The deals leave 31 colleges left in the dispute over fair pay and conditions, with strike action set to go ahead on Wednesday 14, Thursday 15 and Friday 16 January (2026).

UCU is urging management at the 31 colleges to come back to the table and make fair pay offers that help close the pay gap between school and college teachers so it can call off the strike action.

UCU - alongside sister unions NEU, GMB, UNISON and Unite - is calling for a New Deal for FE, including pay parity with schoolteachers, national workload agreements and a binding national bargaining framework.

Employer body, the Association of Colleges (AoC), has recommended a pay uplift of 4%, but colleges do not have to follow its recommendation, and many have failed to do so in previous pay rounds. The average college teacher earns £9,000 less than their counterpart does in schools.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'I want to congratulate our members at Runshaw College for winning a pay award that helps bring their salaries into line with their counterparts in schools.

'We have now resolved our dispute at 20 colleges and, to avoid disruption on campus come the New Year, leaders at colleges where we are still in dispute need to make meaningful offers and show they value their staff.'