Colleges in Wales are likely to face industrial action after more than nine in 10 members of the University and College Union (UCU) voted in favour of a strike over pay and workload.
This follows employers’ rejection of a pay claim of 7.5 per cent or £1,500 by UCU, with employers instead making an offer of 1 per cent. According to UCU, the employers have also refused to negotiate on workload issues while the pay dispute is ongoing. Strike action was backed by 91 per cent of those balloted.
The union said it was now up to the employers to return to the negotiating table with an improved offer on pay and workload.
UCU Wales official Margaret Phelan, said: “This result shows that staff are not prepared to just stand by and watch their pay and conditions deteriorate. The employers’ 1 per cent pay offer does nothing to address the declining value of college pay and the refusal to address workload concerns has left members deeply frustrated.
“The employers now need to recognise the level of concern amongst college staff and return to the negotiating table with an improved offer on pay and workload as a matter of urgency.”
‘Various communications’
Mark Dacey, lead negotiator on behalf of the 13 independent employer colleges said: “During the course of yesterday college chief executives have received various communications from UCU. Until such time as the sole trade union which has completed its ballot has communicated the outcome of the vote with individual employers, we will not be in a position to respond formally.”
He added: “It is, however, important to note that any union must follow the exact terms set out in trade union law. In our view, each union must respond to each individual employer. This is not a national dispute. It is a series of negotiations facilitated by ColegauCymru on behalf of each college board.”
‘Talks ongoing’
Iestyn Davies, chief executive of Colleges Wales, the charity which works to promote post-compulsory education in Wales, said: “We work closely with the individual colleges and help facilitate the collective bargaining and negotiations with the trade unions and support dialogue with the Welsh government.
“College principals are currently waiting to receive the individual outcomes of the ballots entered into by UCU. Since rejecting the initial pay offer of 7.5 per cent they have worked with Welsh government officials to determine whether or not an award in excess of the 1 per cent in overall allocation of funding received by colleges, could be realised.
“These talks are still ongoing. In the meanwhile, all concerned with post 16 education will be aware that continued real terms cuts in funding have left their mark on the FE sector and any pay rise must be affordable. Our aim is to ensure that the parties can reach a negotiated settlement as soon as possible so as to avoid a costly disruption to learning.”
He added that during the recent Love Our Colleges campaign, Colleges Wales called for a consolidated increase of 3.5 per cent funding to meet the rising costs faced by the FE sector.
Staff in these colleges were balloted for strike action:
- Bridgend College & Pencoed
- Coleg Cambria (Llysfasi, Yale and Deeside)
