Teesside college staff to strike over 'poverty' pay offer

Bede Sixth Form College is among those set to be affected by industrial action

Staff at five colleges on Teesside have announced strike action in a pay row.

Walkouts will be held at Bede Sixth Form College and The Skills Academy, both in Billingham, Stockton Riverside College, the NETA Training Group, and Redcar and Cleveland College.

The University and Colleges Union (UCU) said its members had "no choice".

Employer group Education Training Collective (ETC) said an offer "in line with Association of Colleges guidance" had already been submitted.

Industrial action is set to be held on Tuesday 7, Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 November.

UCU members say a 3% pay rise imposed for the 2022/23 academic year is not sufficient; they also voted against an offer to add a further 1% from May.

'Pushing staff into poverty'

The union called on ETC to make a "realistic offer" and to "quickly return to the negotiating table so that vital GCSE resits aren't impacted".

It said ETC had £4m in the bank and that its principal was paid more than £300,000, while the organisation was "trying to recruit lecturers for less than £24,000".

UCU regional support official Chris Robinson said ETC was "refusing to reward [staff] dedication with a decent pay offer".

"Threatening to take strike action during GCSE resits is the last thing our members want to do, but they have been left with no choice.

"In a cost-of-living crisis, it is simply unacceptable that the employer is holding down pay and pushing highly-skilled staff into poverty."

In response, ETC said it had worked with unions to "ensure the best outcomes for staff, while safeguarding the financial health of the organisation and, in doing so, protecting jobs".

It added: "While we are disappointed to learn of the intended strike action planned for next month, our priority will be maintaining continuity of teaching and learning for our students.

"A pay offer, in line with Association of Colleges' guidance, has already been tabled - passing on the additional funding outlined by the Department for Education directly, in full, to our staff members."