UCU said it is "wrong" that English further education colleges are classified as private sector bodies and that they must now be reclassified as part of the public sector.
The union was responding to the Office of National Statistics' (ONS) decision to review the classification of further education colleges.
UCU head of policy and equality Quinn Roache said: 'It is wrong that English further education colleges are currently classified as private sector bodies. They are funded by government to provide education and training to the public, they often educate the same cohort of students as schools do, yet schools are categorised as public sector bodies whereas colleges are not. This is an accountancy trick used to privatise debts and pension liabilities. It has not benefited colleges, staff, students or the communities they serve.
