UCU campaign leads to pay deals of up to 10% at 60 colleges

The University and College Union (UCU) today (Wednesday) welcomed pay deals of up to 10% which its members have overwhelmingly voted to accept at 25 college employers [NOTE 1]. These awards come on top of the 35 deals the union has already announced [NOTE 2]. 

The latest set of deals include an improved offer at Bolton College after members took three days of strike action earlier this month, a 10% uplift at Tameside College, an uplift of up to 9.5% at South Staffordshire College and an 8.5% uplift at Hopwood Hall College. All the deals come after sustained work by UCU through its Respect Further Education campaign, including national and local ballots, and, at many institutions, the threat of strike action. 

UCU said the deals provide yet more evidence that a small number of increasingly isolated bosses must get back to the negotiating table, make meaningful offers, and settle. Now that Bolton College has made an improved offer, there are just seven hold-out bosses who refuse to make acceptable offers that will settle their disputes [NOTE 3]. The union is demanding commitments on workloads as well as improved pay. 

Further education received almost £1bn (£924m) in new funding this year compared to 2019 and employer body the Association of Colleges has recommended a pay award of 6.5%. UCU balloted most English college employers earlier this academic year as part of its Respect FE campaign for decent pay and working conditions and binding national bargaining agreements. UCU also surveyed its members over the summer; the results showed that the vast majority of respondents were struggling financially and desperately needed a pay rise.  

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said:

‘After a sustained campaign for better pay and conditions in further education we are proud to announce these latest pay awards, which will go a long way to helping college staff meet the cost-of-living crisis. These hard-won uplifts come off the back of our coordinated strike ballots across England alongside resolute bargaining and negotiating by our members.

 ‘There are now just seven bosses who are shamefully holding and refusing to make an offer acceptable to our members. They urgently need to recognise that staff need manageable workloads and decent pay and get back to the negotiating table to avoid the possibility of further strike action.’ 

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Newly announced pay deals: 

1. Bolton College – 7% and an agreement not to deduct strike pay 
2. Bridgewater and Taunton College – 6.5%  
3. Burnley College – 6.5%  
4. Chesterfield College – 6.5% 
5. Derby College – 6.5%  
6. Halesowen College – 6.5%  
7. Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges – 6.5% 
8. Hopwood Hall College – 8.5%                          
9. Lambeth College – 6.5%  
10. London South East Colleges – 6.5% 
11. Leicester College – 6.5%  
12. Milton Keynes College – 6.5%  
13. Newham College – 6.5% 
14. North Warwickshire & South Leicestershire College – 6.5%  
15. Northampton College – 6.5% + £1k non-consolidated  
16. Preston College – 7%  
17. Solihull College – 6.7%  
18. South Staffordshire College – up to 9.5%  
19. Southport College – 6.5%  

20. Tameside College – 10%  
21. Telford College – 6.5%  
22. Trafford College Group – 6.5% 
23. West Thames College – 7%   
24. Wirral Metropolitan College – 7.5% + £500 non-consolidated  
25. Yeovil College – 6.5%  

[2] Previously announced pay deals: 

26. Abingdon and Witney – up to 9% plus £500 unconsolidated   
27. Bath College – 6.5%  
28. Bournemouth and Poole College – 6.5% 
29. Brockenhurst College – 6.5%   
30. Burton & South Derbyshire College – 6.5%  
31. Bury College – 8.5%  
32. Calderdale College – 6.5%   
33. Cambridge Regional College (Camre) – 7%   
34. Cheshire College South & West – 6.5%  
35. City of Bristol College – 6.5%   
36. City of Liverpool College – 6.5%    

37. City of Wolverhampton College – 6.5%   
38. Dudley College -6.5%   
39. Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College – up to 7.1%  
40. East Durham College – 6.5%   
41. Exeter College – 6.5%   
42. Furness College – 6.5%   
43. Gloucestershire College – 6.5%  
44. Hugh Baird College – 6.5% 
45. Isle of Wight College – 6.5% + 1% non-consolidated   
46. Leeds College of Building – 7%  
47. Middlesborough College – 6.5% 
48. New College Swindon – 6.5% plus £900 unconsolidated 
49. Nottingham College – up to 7.3% 
50. Petroc – 6.5%  
51. Plymouth College – 6.5%  
52. Runshaw College – 7.52%  
53. South Thames Colleges Group – Average uplift of 7.09% lecturer grades with more for lower paid staff.  
54. Stoke on Trent College – 7%-to over 8%  
55. The Heart of Yorkshire Education Group – 6.5% 
56. Warrington & Vale Royal College – 6.5%  

57. Weymouth College – 6.5%  
58. Wiltshire College – 6.5% to 10% 
59. Windsor Forest Colleges Group – 6.5% 
60. York College – 6.5%   

[3] Colleges refusing to settle the dispute: 

61. Capital City College Group   
62. Craven College   
63. Croydon College   
64. Farnborough College of Technology   
65. Loughborough College   
66. Myerscough College   
67. Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group