The Welsh government has confirmed it will provide the funding for colleges to offer all of their staff the same pay deal offered to school teachers in England.

While the Department for Education in Westminster confirmed it would not be extending the rise - worth up to 3.5 per cent for 2018-19 - to teachers in English colleges, its Welsh counterpart has now agreed to apply the increase to all teaching and non-teaching staff in colleges.

Welsh language and lifelong learning minister Eluned Morgan confirmed that the Welsh government “will be providing funding to enable further education lecturers to be awarded a pay deal in 2018-19 and 2019-20 which is commensurate to that received by school teachers”.

FE ‘makes an important contribution’

She added: “I am pleased to say that funding will also be provided to extend the pay deal to other FE staff; which highlights the recognition that FE makes an important contribution to the economy of Wales.”

The UK government announced in July that teachers in schools would receive a pay rise of up to 3.5 per cent - with those on the main pay scale getting 3.5 per cent, while those on the upper ranges getting 2 per cent and leaders receiving 1.5 per cent.

Although the Welsh government will have responsibility to set pay and conditions from 2019-20 onwards, this current deal set by the UK government applies to school teachers in both England and Wales. In September, it was announced the Welsh government would receive £23.5 million to fund the pay increase for teachers in schools for the next two years. The Welsh government has now confirmed it will fund the same deal for colleges.

‘Partnership working’

Pay bargaining in the Welsh FE sector is carried out collectively between employers and the trade unions, with post-16 education charity Colleges Wales facilitating the negotiations. There is a common contract in place for all teaching staff, as well as a national pay scale. Although a 7.5 per cent increase asked for by unions has been deemed unaffordable by management, employers had previously indicated that pending government funding to finance this, a settlement could be reached at a 3.5 per cent increase. 

Iestyn Davies, chief executive of Colleges Wales, said the minister’s statement clarified “that funding and planning can only be done in partnership with the sector” and that it “gives due recognition to colleges for their contribution to teaching and learning and the economy”.

“In the case of pay, it’s important to note that Welsh government in partnership with the sector has identified the increase in revenue required to support a meaningful pay settlement for both teaching and support staff without any additional assistance being made from the UK government.

“The relationship between government and FE providers is markedly different in Wales from that in England. This does not mask the challenges we all face, but highlights the importance of partnership working.”