Support staff at colleges are one step closer to taking to the streets to strike about pay.
During a consultation exercise last month, just under 11,000 college members of trade union Unison were asked if they would be prepared to take strike action or “action short of strike action”. As a result of that, support staff at “around 20” colleges will now be asked to vote on strike action.
Unison members in colleges are amongst the lowest paid workers in the further education sector. A recent survey by the union revealed that 12.7 per cent struggled to pay for food and that one in 50 was forced to rely on food banks.
Support staff work in a variety of roles, including training and assessment, technician roles, library services, facilities, administration, specialist learning support, curriculum support, catering, IT, data, finance and procurement.
In their 2018-19 pay claim, the unions representing college employees asked for a pay rise of 5 per cent, or a fixed increase of £1,500 for staff earning less than £30,000 per year. However, the Association of Colleges made a pay recommendation of 1 per cent, or £250 - whichever is greater.
