Unions reject FE pay offer

The six trade unions - ACM, ATL, GMB, UCU, Unison, Unite - submitted a catch-up pay claim for 6% or £1,500, whichever is the greater. This would establish a minimum wage level of £7.38 for workers in FE.

Joint trade union side secretary and Unison national officer, Chris Fabby, said: 'We reject this offer outright. 2.5% is just not enough. This year, our members have been struggling to cope with huge hikes in the cost of essentials like fuel, food and housing.

'The employers must get back around the negotiating table with a more realistic offer. We need a fairer deal for the low paid who can earn as little as £12,738 per year.

'Last year workers in FE got a below inflation pay deal. If this happens again, we run the risk of prompting a recruitment and retention crisis.'

Barry Lovejoy, joint secretary of the trade union side and UCU head of FE, said: 'A pay increase of 2.5% just won't make up for years of below-inflation awards or remedy the 6% FE-school teacher pay gap.

'And it doesn't address the widespread dissatisfaction with poor pay in the face of increasing workload pressures demonstrated by the independent survey carried out recently for UCU.

'The employers need to go back to the drawing board and come up with an offer that will enable FE to avert a potential staffing crisis that could well de-rail the government's skills strategy.'

The union's attempts to introduce agreements on common conditions of service were swept aside by the employers.

The offer covers lecturers, managers, learning support staff, librarians, IT specialists, technicians, professional staff, administrative and business support staff, cleaners, canteen staff and estate management staff.