LSC urged to protect pay and conditions for prison educators

In a letter to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) the union said that when contracts to run courses in prisons are handed out later this month the views of hundreds of prison educators must not be ignored.
 
In a letter to the LSC's offender learning director, Sue O'Hara, UCU general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'It is important that whoever wins the contracts provides pay rates and career progression structures that are comparable with further education lecturers. They need to also allow paid time off for professional and personal development and make a genuine commitment to fostering good industrial relations with trade unions. These are issues about which our members feel very strongly and I hope that the LSC will take note of their views.'
 
Following a re-tendering process, the LSC will hand out the contracts to private companies and further education colleges at the end of April. By the end of March 980 prison educators had signed a petition asking for the same pay and conditions as further education lecturers.