UNISON and the UCU have formally submitted a pay for 5% or £1,500 to further education employers in England.
This follows a change of position by the Association of Colleges, which initially refused to accept a pay claim, after an outline of the claim was submitted at a national joint forum officers’ meeting on 1 May.
But a firm response from the joint unions saw the AoC reverse its decision and agree to receive the claim, which has now been formally submitted. It is for:
- 5% on all pay points, or a £1,500 a year pay rise (full-time), whichever is greater;
- for the living wage, calculated by the Living Wage Foundation, to be the minimum wage in the sector, with all further education colleges in England becoming accredited living wage employers with foundation.
A lettter from the joint trade union secretaries – Leigh Powell of UNISON and Andrew Harden of the UCU points out that staff in FE have experienced a “staggering” real-terms pay cut of at least 25% since 2009.
The letter to employers concludes: “We call on the AoC to make an offer that meets our members’ reasonable expectation for an above inflation pay rise and catch up from a decade of real cuts in pay.”
