Could peace for our time be about to break out in the FE sector? After months dominated by an increasingly bad-tempered dispute between the Association of Colleges (AoC) on one side and the University and College Union (UCU) on the other, the prospect has not come before time.
Let’s recap. The row broke out towards the back end of last year when, after the unions representing college staff asked for a £1 per hour pay rise for all college employees, the AoC - which negotiates on behalf of colleges - refused to offer any increase for 2015-16.
The unions were fuming, claiming that college staff had suffered a real-terms pay cut of 17.1 per cent over the past five years. After 74 per cent of UCU members who took part in a ballot voted to take action, a one-day strike was held last November. In February, they were joined by Unison, representing support staff, with 66 per cent of members who voted backing one day of strike action.
The rhetoric was certainly spiky on both sides. UCU general secretary Sally Hunt described the pay freeze as “an insult to the commitment and enthusiasm of staff”, while Marc Whitworth, the AoC’s director of employment policy and services, said strikes were “very disruptive for colleges and, more importantly, for students”. He added: “The pay recommendation of 0 per cent made by the Association of Colleges reflects the specific financial challenges faced by our members.” A view clearly not shared by UCU.
In any case, the protection (in real terms) of the adult education budget in last year’s Autumn Statement seems to have given colleges a little more breathing space this time around.
This year, the AoC pitched a 1 per cent pay rise on behalf of its members, or a flat £250 rise for staff earning below £25,000 a year. This is some way short of the £1 per hour asked for, again, by the unions, but it is intended to match the headline pay recommendations made across public services.
The UCU is consulting with its members on whether to accept the increase. But the message is pretty clear that this is the best that can be achieved through negotiation: if UCU members want any more, they are likely to have to take industrial action to get it.
FErret can’t wait to see how this one pans out.
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