College strike ballot looms over pay as sector gets new DfE funding

The dispute comes as the Department for Education announced colleges will receive an additional £185m in 23/24 and £285m in 24/25. On BBC Breakfast this morning, Education Secretary Gillian Keegan said the funding is "equivalent" to that provided to schools for the 6.5% teachers' pay award.

UCU will launch a strike ballot in September if employers fail to meet the union's demands. A successful ballot would pave the way for strikes this autumn at further education colleges across England.

The union is demanding a fair pay offer to help staff meet the cost-of-living crisis, a national workload agreement and binding national pay negotiations. Employer body the Association of Colleges (AoC) is now set to make a pay recommendation, having previously refused to do so.

College staff work an average of two days extra every week for no additional pay while salaries have fallen 35% behind RPI inflation over the past 12 years. The AoC directs colleges to pay their teachers as little as £26k, and the pay gap between school and college teachers is over £9k. The AoC admits that low pay has left colleges facing their worst recruitment crisis in two decades.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: 'We are putting college employers on notice. Now that they have received this welcome funding increase from government they need to come back to the table with a realistic pay offer. Any that refuses to do so will be part of England's biggest-ever strike ballot come September. 

'Pay is too low and workloads are too high. Our members now need a new settlement, and it must include binding national negotiations in English further education that deal with these issues.'