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Pay in further education

Members have seen their pay levels drift to a staggering £9k below that of schoolteachers and their counterparts in Sixth Form Colleges.

The NEU and other FE unions agreed a joint statement following the meeting with the FE employers on 21 September 2023.

NEU members have faced a cost of living crisis since 2022 with inflation at more than 10%. Huge increases in fuel and energy bills mean that a lower than inflation pay increase will be a pay cut in real terms.  The NEU stands alongside UCU, Unison, GMB and Unite in calling for a pay rise 2% above RPI inflation.  If you wish to be involved in supporting our campaign then please contact us.

IFS report

More information about pay in FE colleges is in a recent report by the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

Read the report

FE Pay Claim 2023/24 updates

The NEU and other FE trade unions met the FE employers again on 11 May.  It was deeply disappointing that the employers did not offer a pay increase.

NEU and the FE trade unions (led by UCU and Unison and including GMB and Unite) presented their pay claim for 2023/24 on 19 April. Not only were we looking for a sensible and reasonable pay offer but were also seeking to reset the sorry state that FE pay negotiations have arrived at. FE lecturers are now £9k adrift of schoolteachers.

The joint trade unions also proposed in the pay claim discussions around a new framework for collective bargaining and more coherent local implementation, as well as an alignment to a new FE contract.

At the first meeting for the pay negotiations, the AoC (Association of Colleges) failed to respond to the pay offer and also shied away from any resetting of the collective bargaining dial. This was incredibly disappointing, particularly as the AoC admitted that pay was too low, that FE lacked public recognition, and that FE had little political value for government and politicians generally.

Our solution is to build a coherent sector with coherent collective bargaining at its heart and a uniform agreement around terms and conditions and workload. Not only are these the building blocks of any robust occupation, but they are the necessities for a thriving profession. If the AoC cannot see that then we are in even deeper trouble than we previously imagined.

FAQ

NEU members have faced a cost of living crisis since 2022 with inflation at more than 10%. Huge increases in fuel and energy bills mean that a lower than inflation pay increase will be a pay cut in real terms. This will follow members in FE colleges seeing their pay levels drift to a staggering £9k below that of schoolteachers and their counterparts in Sixth Form Colleges.

We now stand alongside UCU, Unison, GMB and Unite in calling for a pay rise 2% above RPI inflation.

College funding has increased significantly since 2020 and additional funding for 2023-24 was announced in July 2023.

Under trade union regulations a formal, independent, postal ballot of members is always required before strike action can be taken. The minimum requirements for the NEU to call on members to take strike action is a Yes vote of more than 50% and a turnout of 50% or more.   

The NEU is considering holding formal ballots in about thirty colleges following indicative ballots in June. 

The NEU will where possible look to coordinate action with the UCU.

Yes. If you join the NEU prior to strike dates you can participate in strike action.

Yes, all NEU members are part of the ballot group in FE colleges.

Fixed term, temporary and zero hours staff who are directly employed by the college will be balloted.

Supply staff who are engaged via an agency are not employees of the college and therefore cannot be balloted or take strike action. They should not cover the work of colleagues on strike.

If the union calls for you to take strike action then your employer will deduct pay for the days when you take strike action.  It is unlikely that the NEU will give members strike pay but NEU districts have hardship funds.

There may be some short-term minor disruption of students’ education but this pales into insignificance compared to the potential long-term damage that low pay has on the sector.

We would encourage you to respect a democratic vote for strike action. You have legal rights to support the action and not to support it.

Discontinuous action means a schedule of different strike days with periods of normal work in between rather than an ongoing strike that does not end until the dispute is resolved. 

Your employer will deduct pay for the days when you take strike action but it is unfair to dismiss an employee who has taken part in any lawful industrial action within 12 weeks of the action commencing.

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