Pay strikes to hit ten colleges in May and June

UCU members at ten colleges will take strike action throughout May and June as part of a row over pay.

Staff at 9 London colleges and Sandwell College in the West Midlands will walk out for up to seven days. The colleges affected and dates of strikes are:

The dispute centres on a below inflation pay offer of 1% from the employer representative, the Association of Colleges, in September and the refusal of any of the colleges concerned to make a further acceptable offer. UCU said that FE staff had suffered years of pay suppression and have seen their pay drop by 25% in real-terms since 2009.

This is the third wave of strikes in the dispute over pay, with staff at most of the affected colleges have already walked out in February and March. At some colleges the dispute also includes concerns about working conditions including holiday entitlement, workload and observation policies.

UCU general secretary Sally Hunt said: 'UCU members at these colleges are resolute in their fight for better pay and conditions. Strike action is always a last resort, but in the face of repeated below-inflation pay awards staff feel they have been left with no other option. The colleges need to urgently address members' concerns if they want to avoid further disruption to students in the coming weeks.'