UCU today called on college bosses to begin negotiating after its members voted to strike over low pay and poor working conditions.
An overwhelming 90% of staff who voted in the England wide further education college ballot said they would back strike action. Ballots were held locally, and UCU beat the restrictive 50% turnout threshold at 32 colleges. UCU members at a further 13 colleges have voted to settle their disputes after receiving pay offers of up to 8.5% (at Bury College). Due to anti-trade union laws, staff at 43 colleges are not able to strike.
The union's further education committee will meet within two weeks to decide next steps and, if employers refuse to make realistic pay offers, strike action could be called as soon as November.
UCU is demanding a pay offer in excess of RPI inflation, a national workload agreement, and a commitment to binding national pay negotiations. The employer body, the Association of Colleges (AoC), has recommended a pay uplift of 6.5% but colleges do not have to follow it, and many have failed to do so in previous pay rounds.
