University and College Union confirms widespread walk-outs next week
Hugh Baird College on Baliol Road(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
Staff at five colleges across Merseyside are set to begin three days of strike action next week in a row over pay and working conditions. Teachers and staff working at Hugh Baird College, the City of Liverpool College, St Helen’s College, Knowsley Community College and Wirral Metropolitan College will begin the three day walk-outs amid disputes, the University and College Union (UCU) has confirmed.
The union claims that college bosses have refused to make a fair offer over pay and working conditions. UCU members at the five colleges will strike on Wednesday January 14, Thursday January 15 and Friday January 16.
UCU, alongside its sister unions NEU, GMB, UNISON and Unite, is calling for a new deal for further education.
They say this should include pay parity with schoolteachers, national workload agreements and a binding national bargaining framework.
The City of Liverpool College will be affected by strikes (Image: Andrew Teebay/Liverpool Echo)
The union says it is pressing employers to work with them to implement meaningful sectoral bargaining so further education can avoid the cycle of strike ballots and disruption over the past few years.
Employer body, the Association of Colleges (AoC), recommended a pay uplift of 4% but colleges do not have to follow it, and the union says that many have failed to do so in previous pay rounds.
The average college teacher earns £9,000 less than their counterparts in schools, according to UCU data.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “Industrial action is a last resort for our members, but staff at colleges across Liverpool and Merseyside have been left with no choice.
“There is still time for management at these five colleges to make a fair offer that helps close the pay gap between school and college teachers.
“Our demands are reasonable, and management needs to look at those colleges that worked with us to settle their disputes.
Wirral Metropolitan College will be affected by strike action(Image: Liverpool Echo)
“Employers must now agree to meaningful sectoral bargaining so further education can avoid the cycle of strike ballots and disruption that we have seen over the past few years.”