Respect FE: sign the pledge and prepare for autumn ballot

Members are being urged to sign and share our Respect FE campaign pledge, which sets out UCU's demands for a new deal for further education staff.

Recent years have seen college staff pay, working conditions and professionalism eroded and your union is campaigning for a new type of settlement for the sector where we are treated with the respect we deserve.

This pledge is an opportunity to add your support to our demands and to put pressure on college employers to agree to action on:

• pay
• workload
• binding national negotiations
• a 'Just Transition' on climate crisis. 

We hope college leaders will work with us to address these urgent issues but UCU is now preparing for an industrial action ballot in September should employers continue to refuse to make a reasonable offer to address our claim. Between now and the autumn term we will be preparing our biggest ever 'get the vote out' campaign in FE to enable us to achieve a mandate for strike action should it be necessary.

Winning an industrial action ballot is always a challenge, but the fantastic response to our e-ballot consultation earlier this year shows that members have had enough and are prepared to stand up and be counted. This starts now: by signing the pledge and sharing with colleagues you can help build the momentum we will need to beat the anti-union ballot thresholds and deliver the leverage we need to move the employers on the issues that matter to you.

Please sign and share the pledge now also check and update your details here to ensure you receive your ballot papers in the autumn.