Jessica BirdTeachers at sixth form colleges have recommenced strike action today (7th January) in an ongoing dispute around funding for above-inflation pay increases at 39 non-academised colleges.
The National Education Union (NEU) reported that sixth form colleges that have become academies were given funding for a 5.5% teacher pay rise through the post-16 schools budget grant.
Non-academised sixth form colleges were excluded, and were not guaranteed any additional funding for pay rises.
The union argued that teachers in academised sixth form colleges were incorrectly designated as being subject to the School Teachers Pay and Review Body (STRB), and so separate to their non-academised counterparts.
However, sixth form college teachers as a whole have their own collective bargaining arrangements for pay with college employers, represented by the Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA).
More than 2,000 NEU sixth form college teachers previously took strike action on 28th November and 3rd-4th December.
Since this previous strike, the SFCA made a revised offer to the teaching unions.
Teachers working in academised sixth form colleges were offered 5.5% for the academic year, while those in non-academised sixth-form colleges were offered 3.5% for September to April, and 5.5% from April onwards.
NEU noted that this would mean lagging behind academised peers by 2% for seven months, creating two tiers of pay for the same job.
The cost of meeting that additional bill was estimated to be £1.5m – 0.5% of the £300m additional funding provided to further education in the Chancellor’s most recent Budget.
The NEU said: “We have been disappointed that the constructive proposals put forward to the SFCA to address the pay injustice that their offer creates, were not seriously entertained by them.
“In the absence of meaningful counter-proposals, industrial action will go ahead.
“We would hope that the SFCA would make efforts to avert further strikes and enter into meaningful dialogue.”
Strike action in affected colleges will take place from 7th to 9th January.
Bill Watkin, chief executive of the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: “Sixth form and FE colleges were seriously disadvantaged by the Government’s decision in the summer to fund a pay award for staff in schools and academies but not colleges.
“In September, we took the decision to bring a claim for a Judicial Review of this decision.
“Following protracted discussions between SFCA and the Department for Education, we are pleased that ministers have agreed to provide funding for the 2024/25 academic year to support a pay increase for our members.
“We are not free to comment on specific details as this is an ongoing legal matter, but we look forward to an announcement by the Government soon.
“Although the funding made available in 2024/25 will not enable colleges to match the pay award in schools and academies, it amounts to a significant step in the right direction.
“As a result, we have agreed to withdraw our claim for a judicial review and will now focus our efforts on ending the ongoing strike action in sixth form colleges.
“We are disappointed that the NEU is proceeding with three further days of strike action this month, but we are committed to working with union leaders to avoid any further disruption to young people’s education.”
