Tyne Coast College strike called off after Acas talks agreed

Staff in South Shields are in a dispute over pay, along with colleagues based in North Tyneside

College staff have called off strike action over pay after fresh talks and a third party negotiator were agreed.

More than 100 people at Tyne Coast College sites in Wallsend and South Shields were due to walk out on Monday.

The University and College Union (UCU) said Tyne Coast management had agreed to meet Acas - the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service.

The college said it was keen to reach a resolution to the row which had "no benefit to staff and impacts students".

The union said Tyne Coast "had imposed a paltry pay award of just 3%, which staff had overwhelmingly rejected", with an initial strike day held on 3 October.

UCU regional support official Jon Bryan said the union had suggested using a third-party facilitator, such as Acas, because "something was needed to break the deadlock".

"The college agreed, stating that they would be contacting Acas within 24 hours. This was welcomed by our representatives, and we are sure that the move will have wide support," he said.

"Consequently, we have agreed to pull the strike action that we had planned and look forward to constructive talks to end the dispute." 

A spokesperson for Tyne Coast College said that it had agreed to collective conciliation through Acas and had contacted the agency to move forward with the process.

"We are keen to reach a resolution to this ongoing dispute, which has no benefit to staff and impacts our students," the spokesperson stated.