Staff strike at Burnley, Oldham and Manchester colleges over pay
- Published
Some staff are striking at Burnley College, Oldham College and The Manchester College
Staff at three North West colleges have started a two-day strike, arguing that they are being "pushed into poverty".
The walkout by members of the University and College Union coincides with Burnley, Oldham and Manchester colleges' student induction weeks.
They say they have yet to receive meaningful pay offers to reflect the rising cost of living.
The Manchester College said it was "committed" to helping colleagues receive a pay increase.
The dispute comes amid the cost-of-living crisis
The union's general secretary Jo Grady said: "College staff are facing the worst cost of living crisis in living memory but college bosses are refusing to meaningfully raise pay.
"This is pushing staff into poverty. By taking strike action our members are saying enough is enough. The money is there to pay staff fairly and college leaders need to do so urgently to avoid further disruption."
A spokesperson for LTE Group, of which The Manchester College is a part, said it was "committed" to ensuring colleagues receive a pay increase that will help to support them through the cost of living crisis "at the earliest possible opportunity".
He said the LTE Group had commenced discussions with unions in February and "have remained in an ongoing dialogue ever since".
"We are currently working with unions to arrange further meetings and discussions via Acas to try and reach an agreement swiftly.
"We care about ensuring our colleagues receive the recognition they deserve and recently supported the Association of Colleges' calls for the Department for Education to carry out further research into pay in further education, with a view to addressing the widening gap between the average pay of teaching staff in schools and colleges."
He added contingency plans have been put in place to mitigate disruption to students as a result of the strike action.
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