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Archive Press
Releases 2001-02
9 December 2002
Talks restart, but no new offer
Extensive informal discussions on this year's pay claim took place
when the joint trade unions met the AOC on Monday 9 December but the
AOC have made no formal revised pay offer.
NATFHE and the other trade unions have expressed disappointment that
the employers have not found it possible to make a formal offer
despite the guarantees of very significant funding increases from
April next year and the consolidation of the additional £32 TPI
money this year. The AoC refused to make a revised offer prior to
the 5 November strike because they argued that they did not have
such guarantees. NATFHE is pleased that talks will recommence on the 13 January 2003
and is urging the employers to make a offer that we can take to the
membership for consultation.
Throughout all talks NATFHE has made it very clear that we are
prepared to negotiate a medium and longer-term pay strategy in the
New Year. But that to resolve the
current dispute we expect a pay increase in this current pay year that includes a "catch up
element " with school teachers, which may include starting to deal with
structural elements of the scales, and which makes a real start on
addressing low pay. But so far no formal offer has been made by the AOC on any of these
elements above.
When the dispute this year is resolved we would support negotiations
within a joint working party for a possible longer term agreement on
pay strategy which closes the gap with schoolteachers. We have
argued that this should have an independent chair as in the case of
HE negotiations. We remain hopeful that an offer will be made in January which can
resolve our dispute. But NATFHE and UNISON are working out a joint
industrial action campaign in the event that talks fail.
19 November 2002
Employers agree to restart talks
Following the government's announcement of extra cash for FE, the
employers have agreed to return to negotiations. The strike planned
for 5 December has been suspended, and the National Joint Forum will
meet on the following day, Monday 9 December.
Branches are urged to meet in the next couple of weeks to discuss
action plans for the new year in the event that negotiations fail to
make satisfactory progress. A special national FE sector conference
will meet on 7 December to discuss further action. A joint industrial action committee with UNISON is being set up.
7 October
2002
Get ready for 5 November
Preparations for a united day of action on 5 November are being stepped up in branches around the country. In particular, NATFHE and Unison have joined forces to gear up for a successful strike day. All five unions are asking their members to hold joint meetings as UNISON,
TGWU, ATL and GMB all hold strike ballots for the day of action. In Birmingham, NATFHE and UNISON have jointly produced a
newsletter for all members in the region, urging a 'yes' vote in the
ballots and encouraging non-members to join
up!
24 September 2002
Green light for 5 November strike
NATFHE's FE leaders, meeting on Saturday 21 September have given the
green light to strike action on 5 November, after the Association
of Colleges refused to reopen negotiations on an improved pay
offer.
The union has welcomed the decisions by Unison, the GMB and the TGWU to
ballot their members for a joint strike on 5 November. The ballots will
take place in early October. NATFHE, who has already balloted their
members, will definitely strike on the day. The union is encouraging
branches not covered by the national ballot to hold local ballots to join
the action.
If the AoC fails to come up with a meaningful offer by the end
of November, FE members of the union's national executive will call
a series of one-day strikes, starting with a stoppage in the week of
2 December. A special sector conference on 7 December will discuss
further action to support the pay claim.
Members are being urged to send letters and postcards to local MPs, and
to contact the local media about recruitment and retention problems in
their college. NATFHE branches will also be seeking the support of
principals and chairs of governors to reopen negotiations.
NATFHE is organising a lobby of the Association of Colleges
annual conference to be held in Birmingham between 19 and 21
November.
21 September 2002
£32 million Teaching Pay Initiative package announced
On 20 September Margaret Hodge announced a £32 million package
for lecturers and support staff pay, under the Teaching Pay
Initiative.
Some £20 million is due to go to lecturers, while £12 million has been
earmarked for college non-teaching staff.
NATFHE says the £32 million addition to the Teaching Pay Initiative -
which is not consolidated into pay scales - will do little to address the overall decline in college staff pay or bridge the 12% gap
between colleges and schools pay. The package amounts to just 1% of the
colleges' pay bill. Added to the 2.3% pay offer by the AoC, a lecturer on
the £23,000 average salary could expect only £760 - not the £1,000
promised by the government, says NATFHE. The AoC estimated that the £20m
for TPI spread across the total number of FE teachers would equate to a
one off annual payment of £148. The £12m CPI money for support staff
would equate to a one off annual payment of £139. The union is
calling for a boost to core funding that will allow lecturers' pay rates
to rise to the equivalent of schoolteachers pay.
5 September 2002
College staff renew fight for fair pay
As a new term begins in FE, NATFHE members and other college staff are
gearing up to renew their campaign for fair pay.
Five out of the six college unions are now preparing for the first ever
joint strike in FE on Tuesday 5 November, following the rejection a 2.3% pay offer by all the unions. Members of Unison, the TGWU,
the GMB and some branches of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers
will be balloted in late September and October for a one-day
strike.
NATFHE began industrial action to support the joint pay claim in May and
does not need to hold a further ballot. Its members are also carrying out
a 'work to contract' sanction. Our members should do all they can to help
the support unions get a 'yes' vote', said Barry Lovejoy, head of NATFHE's colleges department.
'This is the first time this kind of joint action has been organised in
FE and it will be a significant escalation of the campaign to get fair
pay for all staff.'
Getting the message across It's Parity Time again. All union members will
be asked to wear the distinctive red and white campaign stickers in the
first weeks of the new term.
NATFHE members are also being asked to encourage support staff to vote
'yes' in their ballot for action.
2 September 2002
Unions urge the AoC to negotiate
FE unions are urging the college employers' body, the Association
of Colleges, to return to the negotiating table for renewed talks
on pay.
Negotiations stalled in July when the employers made an unacceptably low
'final pay offer' of 2.3%. Since the AoC s offer, the governments Comprehensive Spending Review promised colleges an extra
1% increase in core funding for the next three years. Union leaders
believe this makes it possible for the AoC to make a new offer. Most
public sector employees have had higher pay increases, including 3.5% for
higher education staff and 7.8% over two years for public sector
workers. NATFHE members should write to their Principals and Chairs
of governors to urge them to support a return to negotiations.
14 June 2002
Press reports keep rolling in:
The two-day strike on 28 and 29 May was a resounding success - including
getting NATFHE's message across to the media. On the two strike days
there were massive TV and radio coverage across the country. The
Guardian, Independent, Mirror, Evening Standard, TES and Times Higher
also covered the strike. The PM Programme on BBC Radio 4 broadcast an
excellent report on FE to coincide with the strike - interviewing NATFHE
general secretary Paul Mackney and Education Minister Margaret
Hodge.
Congratulations are due to the hundreds of branch officers who organised
media events, gave interviews and helped get out a unified message of
'pay parity for FE lecturers' to the employers, government and the
public. Since the strike, head office has received nearly 400 press
cuttings from newspapers around the country that reported on the strike.
A small sample of how NATFHE got its message across is detailed
below - students and even some of the college employers expressed
support for the case for parity.
Stevenage Mercury 'In recent years we have lost parity with teachers and
lecturers salaries are now around 10% lower than that of schoolteachers'
said Hertford Regional College NATFHE branch secretary Dave Goody.
Principal Paul Harvey said he had 'total sympathy' for lecturers. Mr
Harvey described the difference between school and college pay and
untenable'.
Westmoreland Gazette Maggie Cawthorn, NATFHE branch chair at
Kendal College said the pay gap had caused the college 'to have
a particularly difficult year for recruiting the kind of staff we
want to ensure quality of teaching'
Leicester Mercury Classes were cancelled today for thousands of students
across Leicestershire as further education lecturers began a two-day
strike.
Watford Observer West Herts College NATFHE branch officer Peter
Bold said: 'Most of our members are not militant. We are talking
about reasonable sensible people basically being humiliated by not
being treated fairly. A spokesperson for the college said: West Herts
have always supported lecturers - lobbying with the Association
of Colleges. Now its up to the government to take notice.'
Sutton Coldfield Observer NATFHE branch officer Alan MacEachran sai'Lecturers
in colleges can be paid a much as £5000 a year less than schools
teachers. We feel this is unjust given the excellent results the college
receives and the massive growth in student numbers in recent years'.
Carmarthen Journal NATFHE member Caroline Harries said: 'This is not just
about pay. This is about the quality of education we can provide to our
local communities if we are not able to find the teaching staff because
of low rates of pay'.
Oxford Star Lynn MacBain, Oxford College of FE, union spokesperson said:
'We want parity with schoolteachers. We think that we do the same job,
and a lot of lecturers are leaving to work in schools because of
pay'.
Northampton Chronicle Paul Taylor , a lecturer and branch rep at Tresham
Institute said: 'Long hours and poor wages were driving staff out of the
profession'. Referring to NATFHE's pay and morale survey, he said: 'Much
of what the survey is suggesting is quite representative of the feeling
of people at Tresham. People are
overworked and undervalued.'
The Surrey Comet devoted the whole front page to the strike.
Graham Bailey, an English lit lecturer on the picket line said: 'When
I started working 10 years ago, our pay was level with
schoolteachers. Now we are 12 per cent behind.' College principal, Colin
Staff said he was sympathetic to the union's cause: 'The persistent underfunding
of the further education system would have caused public outcry if it had
been applied to schools or universities'.
Medway Today Teresa Murray, branch officer at Mid-Kent College said: 'I
particularly want to see good young graduates coming into the profession,
but the pay needs to be improved'.
Cumberland Evening News and Star Terry Jones at Carlisle College said
'It's a derisory offer that no one can take seriously. College lecturers
and teachers are at the centre of the government's plans when it comes to
raising skills ad increasing entry into higher education'.
Croydon Advertiser Sue Colquhoun at Croydon College said: 'There
are seven million adults in the UK with the literacy and numeracy
skills of 11 year olds and the government has set FE college targets
to raise standards. The government is putting money into
initiatives but the cash is nor going to the lecturers'. College
principal Mariane Cavalli said: 'I'm sympathetic to the plight of all staff
in further education who are underpaid as a result of the FE sector being underfunded over recent years'.
Liverpool Daily Post David Green of Southport College said: 'We
are simply asking for a degree of parity between teaching
professions and it seems that striking is the only way we can achieve
this'. The Liverpool Daily Post in North Wales quoted Craig Lewis at
Deeside College as saying: 'Our fight is not with the students. It is
with our employers who have been given extra funds of 4.1%.' A dean
at Warrington Collegiate Institute was quoted as saying, ''Each
year
colleges have to make 2 or 3 per cent efficiency savings. After a while
this begins to bite and there simply is not the money to go round.... We have a good relationship with our teaching staff. There is
no malice felt because of this strike'.
Bradford Telegraph and Argus Tina Downes, NATFHE president said: 'Tony
Blair said Education, education, education, but he meant schools,
schools, schools, schools...colleges mustn't become places where
non-standard students are taught on the cheap'...
Newcastle Evening Chronicle In a double page spread in the Chronicle ran
the headline 'Long-running dispute leads to empty colleges', with NEC
member Jon Bryant making the case for FE lecturers. 'We teach about four
million students a year and we need the money to give those students the
education they deserve, delivered by well qualified, highly motivated
staff. You only get that by paying for it'.
Redditch Standard Ian Webster, chair of the Redditch NATFHE branch was
reported as saying, 'Its mystifying, why in a year when school teachers
have received a 3.5 per cent increase, we've been offered so little,
especially as the government has promised to match pay by 2004'.
Bath Chronicle covered Liberal Democrat MP Don Foster's visit to the NATFHE
picket line. He said: 'I think it is the first time all of the college
unions and the management of the college have joined together in pressing
the government in bringing about an important change in the funding
arrangements for college'.
Northwest Evening Mail reported Furness College branch chair John Holden
as saying their strike was completely solid: 'The strike involved nearly
all lecturers. We have a 99 per cent union membership at the college'.
Manchester Evening News quoted NATFHE Mancat rep Geoff Brown. He told
reporters, ' Within five years, a newly qualified teachers will be on
£25,700, but after five years, a lecturer will get
just £21,4000'.
In the Burton Mail, student David Gee of Burton College said: 'College
lecturers do the same work as teachers and commit the same time, but the
pay is not the same and it is not fair'.
Grimsby College branch secretary Malcolm Morland told the Grimsby Eve
Telegraph that he was pleased a the level of support the strike had
attracted in the town. 'This is about raising public awareness of a
national campaign, because 1.5% is derisory'.
The Herald Express (Torquay) interviewed several lecturers on the picket
lines in South Devon. NATFHE member and former schoolteacher Sue Arnold
said: 'I made a conscious decision to teach in further education because
it is extremely important that we give students a second and third choice
outside of schools. The government puts out
these expectations as to what we should do, and we are finding it more
and more difficult to do it properly.'
The East Anglia Daily Times reported that NATFHE's Ian Cowley said that
lecturers had collected at least 300 signatures on a petition outside the
college to support their cause.
Mark Abel, chair of NATFHE's Bournemouth branch, told the Bournemouth
Daily Echo that the branch got a good turnout on the day 'despite getting
drowned' by the elements.
5 June 2002
More support for FE action
The National Union of Journalists has added its voice
to the growing backing for NATFHE's fight for a fair deal for FE
lecturers: 'I hopeyour strike action was successful and that the
employers...agree to return to the negotiating table', writes gen sec
Jeremy Dear; 'TheNUJ offers its full support for your claim and your just
fight for better pay.'
31 May 2002
Support from other workers grows
NAPO is the latest union to support our action on 28/29 May.
General secretary Judy McKnight writes: 'Please accept NAPO's
solidarity greetings to all NATFHE members in further education in
their ongoing struggle over pay...keep us informed of the progress of
your dispute and any practical help we can give.'
29 May 2002
Strike bites across country
The first day of NATFHE's two-day pay strike was well supported
by branches across England and Wales, with pickets at many
colleges (including Brooklands, left), and - despite having to fight
Stephen Byers' resignation for the headlines - worthwhile media coverage:
inYorkshire & Humberside, for example, three local BBC newsrooms
(in Leeds, Bradford and Tees) picked up the story, and President
Gerard Kelly was interviewed by Yorkshire TV. And messages of
support have come in from other trade unionists. Sally Hunt, the AUT's
new general secretary, says: 'AUT is proud to offer our support to the
industrial action being taken by our colleagues and friends in further
education. For too long the FE sector has been treated with contempt and
disrepect...world-class teaching and lifelong learning need the support
and dedication of well-rewarded and highly motivated staff. Fair pay and a
stable working environment should not be too much to ask for.' For
UNISON, general secretary Dave Prentis says: 'We share the
same objectives of improving funding for FE and eradicating
low pay...UNISON wishes you a successful outcome from your action and
I hope we can work together over the next few months to achieve
our shared goals' - and the union's senior national officer
Christina
McAnea adds: 'There is a lot of support for NATFHE's action among UNISON
members in colleges and I hope that if there is no acceptable outcome
from these current negotatiations we can work together on any plans for
future action.'
Chris Kaufman, the T&G's national secretary, sends this
message: 'Congratulations to NATFHE members who are fighting today on
the front line for fair pay and lighter workloads...NATFHE members
are standing up against the employers' derisory pay offer of 1.5%
and they are right to do so... I have told T&G members to back
your action in colleges and to refuse any additional work passed on
to them as a result. You are on the frontline today - but if
the employers do not make significant improvements in their next
pay offer - it won't be long before we join you.'
NAS/UWT general secretary Eamonn O'Kane says: 'I wish to extend to you
our warm and full support for your strike action. We are well aware of
the tremendous difficulties with which our colleagues in FE have had to
contend in recent years. This sustained attack on terms and
conditions...has to be resisted and we support fully the action of NATFHE
in leading that resistance.'And from Prospect 's Paul Noon: 'On behalf of
106,000 Prospect members I would like to convey good wishes and support
in your campaign for a fair deal for lecturers and other staff.'
NATFHE members in Northern Ireland are not involved in the action: but NI
regional secretary Wesley McCann writes: 'The Northern Ireland Regional
Council has asked me to express our support for colleagues in England and
Wales in their campaign for a decent salary settlement. The employers'
offer of 1.5% is truly derisory and members are right to reject it....If
FE is to deliver a high quality service to its students and the
communities it serves, and ensure decent conditions for the staff who
work in it, then it must be properly funded. If it takes industrial
action to get that message across then strike we must. Please convey to
our colleagues the NI Region's wholehearted support for their action.'
17 May 2002
Get ready to put the message across!
The two-day strike on Tuesday 28/Wednesday 29 May is on
following yesterday's resounding YES vote. It's time to put arrangements
in place to maximise publicity for our case.
16 May 2002
Yes for two-day strike action - all out on 28 and 29 May!
BALLOT RESULT
Members have voted 2-1 for strike action and 8-1 for action short
of strike in support of our pay claim. The results of the ballot
held across over 280 colleges in England and Wales are as follows:
Strike action
Number of votes cast 14,602
Number of Yes votes 9,462
Number of No votes 4,986
Number of spoilt papers 154
Action short of a strike
Number of votes cast 14602
Number of Yes votes 12,739
Number of No votes 1,661
Number of spoilt papers 202
OFFER STICKS AT 1.5%
Members up and down the country are clearly incensed at the insulting
1.5% offer from the employers. We were anticipating a
revised offer to be made on Monday 20 May. However the AOC have
now informed us that they are unable to do so at this stage, and
the National Joint Forum arranged for this date will now not go
ahead.
The two-day strike next week will give all members an opportunity
to publicly demonstrate their anger over appalling pay levels in
FE. The employers say they want comparable pay to schoolteachers
but offer 2.5% less! The government keep saying they want to improve
the situation but have yet to come through with the cash. Our
message to both the employers and the government is: between you, sort
this mess out!
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
All members who were balloted are instructed by the union to
take strike action for the two days on 28 and 29 May i.e. you should
do no work on that day, on or off the premises.
Volunteer for picket lines and leafleting duty. It is very important
that the strike gets as much publicity as last year. The media will want
pictures and its also quite pleasant having time to chat to
colleagues!
Attend any events eg rallies or meetings, in your area (ask
your branch officer for details)
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Does anyone know how the members voted in our college?
The votes in the ballot were aggregated only into a national vote.
All members in the 280 colleges are therefore covered by the result.
No individual names were supplied to employers.
Do I have to inform my management that I am on strike?
You are under no obligation to do so. Contact your branch officers if you
have any problems
Am I breaking my contract by striking?
Like most industrial action striking does involve a breach of
your contract. However the union has carried out statutory
balloting
arrangements to ensure that the union gains protection from employers
action.
Can I be sacked?
A dismissal for taking part in industrial action within eight weeks from
the start of any protected official industrial action will be unfair. After eight weeks it can also be unfair dismissal if the employer
selectively sacks individuals for taking industrial action. Please remember, the greater the number of people who support the action
the less likely it will be that employers will try to take action against individuals. Unity is strength.
How much money will I lose?
The actual amount will depend on the nature of the contract at yourcollege and
the policy of your employer. Contact your branch officers for more information.
How will it effect my pension?
The effect on your length of service of a days strike is very small (less
than 70p a year for a salary of £20,000). Those in their last year of service may have an additional small cost but contact your branch
officer as it may be possible to avoid this.
What if students are taking exams on 28 or 29 May?
Colleges have had ample notice of the strike action and should be able to
make alternative arrangements for students who are taking exams during
the two-day strike. However, the purpose of the dispute is not to disrupt
exams or assessment. Where there are difficulties with exams (eg if
specialist supervision is required), college managers should speak to
branch officers who will consider exemptions of particular staff from
action.
What happens next?
Following the strike day you will receive further information on
the action members will be taking short of strike. This will be
decided at the union's Annual Conference on the weekend of 1-3 June.
30 April 2002
MPs sign up for FE cash, lecturers' pay and student support
37 MPs to date have signed an early day motion on FE cash, lecturers' pay
and student support. EDM 1171 was tabled by David Chaytor MP on the day
of the joint lobby for FE funding. An EDM is a device to draw attention
to an issue, and to elicit support by inviting other MPs to add their
signatures to the motion.The more signatures the more widespread the
support is shown to be. Is your MP on the list? Make sure they show their
support by signing the E
29 April 2002
TUC GS urges fair pay for college lecturers
In a speech to the Association of Colleges' Business
Partnership Conference, TUC General Secretary John Monks urged employers
to negotiate a fair deal for college lecturers in the current
pay round. 'The union case is as strong as I have ever known,' said Mr Monks,
'Any pay settlement that does not help to close the gap between FE
lecturers and classroom teachers just won't do.'
25 April 2002
Colleges lobby MPs to fund the future
On Tuesday 23 April hundreds of FE college lecturers, support
staff, principals, governors and students joined forces in a lobby
of Parliament urging MPs to support a massive boost in core funding
for FE colleges.
The lobby, organised by NATFHE, NUS, the Association of Colleges and the
five other FE unions, was an unprecedented show of unity. Its aim was to
convince the government that colleges are in crisis and substantially
more funding must be forthcoming in the July comprehensive spending
review. Delegations travelled to Westminster from as far as Newcastle
and the southern coasts of Devon. College cleaners, lecturers,
and technicians joined with senior managers to tell their local MPs
that extra cash was need to close the £1,000 funding gap between
school sixth forms and FE colleges.
Lecturers told how colleges were losing teaching staff to schools because
of a 12% pay gap between lecturers andschoolteachers' pay. FE students
told how the £40 a week Educational MaintenanceAllowance made a big
difference in staying on rates and urged that they be extended to all FE
students.
Education Minister Margaret Hodge, speaking at a meeting organised during
the lobby, repeated a pledge to tackle the funding gap and to invest in
college infrastructure. The meeting also heard speeches from NATFHE
general secretary Paul Mackney and AoC chief executive David
Gibson.
17 April 2002
AoC offers insulting 1.5% pay increase: strike ballot to open on 3
May 2002
National negotiators from all six FE trade unions were astounded at a
meeting on Tuesday 16 April, to receive an offer from the AoC of only
1.5% in response to this year's pay claim. In presenting the offer the
AoC confirmed that 'it is committed to not further erode the salary
position of FE staff' and that its commitment 'remains
steadfast and strong.'
If a 1.5% offer is seen by the AoC as reflecting such a commitment, one
wonders what the offer would be without this commitment! The offer does
not even match inflation, let alone the schoolteachers' award this year
of around 5%. NATFHE members were given a further slap in the face. The
AoC agreed to continue negotiations on Support Staff hours of work
and holidays, but ruled out any similar discussions in respect of lecturers. The offer was unanimously rejected by all the unions as
derisory and insulting to all FE staff and the AoC were told in no
uncertain terms to rethink and come back with a serious offer in response
to the joint union pay claim at the next meeting on 20 May.
Action plan
Members in the vast majority of colleges will now be balloted to support
national industrial action starting with a two day strike on 28 and 29
May if no acceptable further offer is made by the employers. Members will
receive ballot papers at their homes on 3 May and must return their vote
to ERBS no later than 16 May.
There will be two questions on the ballot form .
Are you prepared to take strike action?
Are you prepared to take action short of strike?
You are strongly urged to vote YES to both questions in the ballot.
The action is needed both to register our anger and disgust at
this shabby treatment but also to provide backing for our negotiators
in obtaining an acceptable offer from the employers. Further
national negotiating meetings will take place on 20 May and 11
June. Remember that last year's strike action and lobbying gave
us extensive publicity and produced further funding from the
government to enable us to reach agreement. This year for the first
time UNISON, the largest support staff trade union, is also working
to organise strike action alongside NATFHE in a number of
colleges. It is time again to demonstrate that we are not putting up with
ever increasing workloads in return for unacceptable salaries and
to support your national negotiators in securing an improved
acceptable offer.
16 April 2002
Lobby for FE
On Tuesday 23 April college lecturers, managers, principals, and students
will converge on Westminster to reinforce the case for a big cash hike
for FE in the Chancellor's next spending round. 'Colleges Make the
Difference. Fund the Future', lobbyist will tell MPs.
COLLEGES MAKE THE DIFFERENCE - FUND THE FUTURE
Lobby of Parliament (House of Commons), 23 April 2002
Organised by AoC, ACM, ATL, GMB, NATFHE, NUS, T&G, Unison
Key themes:
core funding (incl gap between colleges & sixth forms)
staff pay
student support
Briefing for lobbyists/hospitality: 10am onwards
London Marriott Hotel, County Hall, Westminster Bridge Road, London SE1
7PB (just over Westminster Bridge on the left-hand side opposite St
Thomas Hospital - no more than five minutes walk from the House of
Commons)
The Library Room in the hotel will be open until 6pm. Refreshments will
be served all day and this will be where people can collect briefings.
Coats and bags can be left up until 7pm in the cloakroom on the ground
floor.
Press briefing: 10.30am, 23 April, London Marriott Hotel Lobbying: from
11am
Meeting: 3pm-6pm, Westminster Hall (formerly Grand Cttee room)
MP chairs: Barry Sheerman, Dennis Turner, Phil Willis. Alastair Burt,
David Chaytor Short contributions from leaders of sponsoring
organisations - approx five minutes (timing depending on availability)
and specialists
Succinct contributions from lobbyists with stories to tell about how underfunding
affects them and the delivery of govt objectives (NB two central drivers
of post-school education policy are 50% HE target and adult basic skills)
- eg recruitment problems, skills shortages, staff leaving for schools,
student access & retention. Also looking for stories on how cash
makes a difference, eg EMA pilots.
16 April 2002
Help make the case for FE cash
NATFHE made a submission to the DfES about increased funding in the next
public sector spending round, 2003/4-5/6. The DfES has now submitted its
spending bid to the Treasury. All government departments are battling it
out for a fair share of the cake. The allocations will be announced in
the autumn.Increased cash for FE is vital to student opportunities
and lecturers' lives and NATFHE branches have been asked to join
with the other staff unions, NUS, and their principal to seek a
meeting with the local MP and send a group of representatives to the
lobby.
Lobbyists should be ready to explain how the underfunding of FE
jeopardises the government's objectives.
Are you working alongside school teachers doing the same work for less pay?
Is your department having difficulty recruiting lecturers?
Have any of your colleagues left to teach in schools?
If you've got a story to tell, contact Midge Purcell in our press office.
Email mpurcell@natfhe.org.uk or telephone 020 75203207.
If you need help contacting your MP, contact Alison Willis in
our Parliamentary Office. Email parliament@natfhe.org.uk, or
telephone 020 7520 3211.
4 March 2002
College unions submit new pay claim for 2002
All six FE college unions have teamed up to submit a joint pay claim to
the Association of Colleges for 2002/03. The claim is a for
a 'substantial' flat rate pay rise for all lecturers,
managers, support and manual staff. You can download both the joint claim
and NATFHE's supplementary claim as Word documents. The joint bid for a
substantial pay rise this year is another step in the unions' three-year
plan to achieve pay parity between college staff and schools staff by
2004. The claim also demands that AoC tackles the unacceptably high levels of casualisation in colleges, and
begins work on a national agreement on working hours and holidays.
NATFHE is preparing a campaign of lobbying, and other activity to back
the claim, including plans to ballot for two days of strikes in May if
there's no progress in negotiations. Branches are being asked to check
their membership lists to make sure they are up to date.
IT'S PARITY TIME......is the new slogan for this year's pay campaign.
The slogan highlights the unions' goal of pay parity between college and
school staff by 2004. This includes NATFHE's aim to close the 10% pay
gap between college lecturers and schoolteachers.Posters, leaflets and
stickers will be available in branches soon to help publicise the
campaign.
27 February 2002
£5 million for pay on the way
The extra £5 million promised last year by the government for staff pay
will be available to colleges from 1 April this year. The Department of Education and Skills has confirmed to NATFHE that colleges
are to receive the money from the Learning and Skills Council by the end
of March.
The money - which the government promised during last year's pay dispute
- will be distributed through the Teaching Pay Initiative to make a start
on 'modernising' college staff pay. Last years' dispute was settled on
the basis that the extra £5 million should allow all colleges to award
lecturers at least 0.3% from April, on top of the 3.7% pay increase
received in August 2001.
The Association of Colleges says that the 0.3% was not part of
the national pay recommendation, but that all staff eligible for the TPI should
receive a share of the extra funds. NATFHE has asked all FE branches to
ensure that colleges pay lecturers a fully consolidated 0.3% award by 1st
April.
22 February 2002
NATFHE branches lobby MPs over non-payers
NATFHE members at Wigan and Leigh College have begun a letter writing
campaign to their local MPs to enlist their support in persuading the college to pay the 3.7% cost of living increase agreed
last year.
A similar campaign by members at Huddersfield Technical College helped
convince the college to pay an interim partial payment of 2.5%. The local MP
for the college is Barry Sheerman, chair of the Education and Skills
Select Committee.
22 February 2002
Low pay hits college staff recruitment
Staff turnover in FE colleges has tripled since colleges
became independent corporations in 1993, says a new survey.
The survey commissioned by college employers shows that staff turnover
has jumped from 10% to 30% in ten years, and applications for top
management jobs have dropped on average from 200 to 20. Themain causes are
identified as 'low salaries' and the low level of FE funding compared to
schools, universities and private industry. Another survey of 123
colleges by FENTO, The Further Education National Training Organisation,
confirmed that one in four colleges couldn't recruit fully qualified
managers because of poor pay. One in ten colleges said they were forced
to hire managers with 'weak' skills. Some 62% of the college couldn't
recruit accountancy lecturers and 22% couldn't recruit engineering
lecturers. FENTO said even basic grade lecturers were attracted to higher
pay in schools. The training body warned that standards may slip if there
was no improvement in college management skills.
6 February 2002
£2 billion needed to fund the future for learning and skills
The government needs to spend an extra £2 billion a year to fully fund
its lifelong learning agenda - and at least £500 million over the next three years to close the gap between college and school pay. The
estimate is contained in the union's submission to the Comprehensive Spending Review 2003-06, The Future for Learning
and Skills, released this month. NATFHE is joining forces with the college employers' body,
the Association of Colleges, and the five other staff unions to bid
for at least £500 million to put further education pay on an equal footing
with schools, re-vamp outdated pay scales and end the casual employment
of thousands of part-time staff.
6 February 2002
3.5% pay rise for schoolteachers
Education ministers announced a 3.5% pay rise for schoolteachers
in January. The raise, plus a shortened pay scale that enables
teachers to reach the top of the scale in five years brings the total
growth in their earnings up to 5%.NATFHE says the teachers' award further
widens the gap between college lecturers' and schoolteachers' pay. Any
pay award for college staff would have to include a 'catch up' element so
that progress can be made towards pay parity between colleges and
schools by 2004.
4
September 2001
COLLEGE EMPLOYERS FAIL TO DEFUSE
LECTURERS' DISPUTE OVER PAY
Lecturers' union NATFHE will go ahead with plans to ballot
further education lecturers on a 3.7% pay offer by college employers
and will urge that the offer be rejected.
After a summer of talks between officers of NATFHE and the
Association of Colleges failed to result in an improved offer, and
in particular a 'catch-up' element to close the gap between
lecturers' and schoolteachers' pay, the union's Further Education
Committee voted to continue plans for a two day strike on Wednesday
3 October and Thursday 4 October if NATFHE members reject the offer.
NATFHE's intensive campaigning and lobbying amongst MPs resulted
in some £5 million in additional government funding being made
available for lecturers' pay through the Teaching Pay Initiative.
The extra money would have allowed for an end-of-year 0.5% increase
on the 3.7% offer, bringing the pay rise offered this year to 4%.
But in spite of the government offer of extra cash, the Association
of Colleges refused to produce an improved pay offer or any guidance
on how the money would be used by colleges.
Paul Mackney, NATFHE general secretary, said:
'The government has recognized that an extra effort had to be
made to close the pay gap between teachers and lecturers. It's a
shame that the employers did not make the same effort to end this
dispute.
'It's regrettable that the AoC was not able to come up with a
statement as to how the £5 million could have been used to revise
their pay offer. Our members needed to see something to convince
them that colleges were serious about lecturers achieving pay parity
with schoolteachers by September 2004. The ball was in their court
and unfortunately, despite everyone's best efforts, they brought
nothing new to the table'.
All
NATFHE FE members will be consulted by postal ballot on acceptance
or rejection of the Association of Colleges final offer of 3.7%. The
ballot opens on Thursday 13 September and closes on Friday 21
September.
7 August 2001
MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY LECTURERS TO
BE BALLOTED FOR INDUSTRIAL ACTION OVER JOB CUTS
Lecturers at Middlesex University, angry over proposals to cut
jobs and courses, are to be balloted for industrial action in
September.
NATFHE, the lecturers' union, said it would ballot its members
after the university announced a new restructuring plan, which
proposes to axe 25 jobs from Humanities and Cultural Studies, Social
Sciences and from Health, Biological and Environmental Studies. The
latest jobs cull follows substantial job losses this summer, mainly
through voluntary redundancies and redeployment. The union now fears
that the drive to make £1.5 million in savings will result in
compulsory redundancies.
The union has expressed deep concern that the university's Race
and Culture programme in the School of Humanities has been suspended
and may face closure because of the restructuring. The undergraduate
programme, offering courses on race, ethnicity and multiculturalism,
is the only one of its kind in the country. The union has lent its
support to the students, parents, academics and local community who
are campaigning to keep the course open.
Jenny Golden, NATFHE regional official said:
'These course closures and job cuts are extremely short-sighted,
and we will resist compulsory redundancies wherever they are
threatened in the university.
'The plans to scale down the Race and Culture program is in
particular a backward step. Middlesex set an example for other
universities to follow when it set up the programme seven years ago.
It should not now weaken its commitment to diversity and equal
opportunities in the education it provides.
'The opportunities afforded by its Race and Culture programme to
promote an understanding of the heritage of colonialism and slavery,
and its relation to present-day racism are invaluable. In the
aftermath of the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry, all public institutions
should redouble their efforts to tackle issues of racism and
equality of opportunity.
'If the government is really serious about
widening participation it will ensure that courses like those
offered by Middlesex, in the heart of a community like Tottenham, do
not go begging'.
9
July 2001
NATFHE TO URGE COLLEGE LECTURERS
TO REJECT
3.7% PAY OFFER
NATFHE's National Executive Committee has called for the college
employers' offer of a 3.7% pay rise to lecturers to be rejected
because it contains no 'catch-up' on the 7 to 10 per cent pay gap
with schoolteachers.
The union's Further Education Committee, meeting at the weekend,
decided to put the employers' 3.7% pay offer to a vote of the
membership with a recommendation for rejection. Whilst 3.7% offered
by the Association of Colleges matches the amount that teachers have
been offered this year, their failure to include a 'catch-up'
element in the offer means that FE lecturers' pay would continue to
slip further behind that of schoolteachers.
If the offer is rejected by NATFHE members in September, two days
of strike action are planned to support their claim for parity with
school teachers' pay.
A statement made by the AoC last week that there is no
significant difference between lecturers' and schoolteachers' pay,
particularly angered lecturers' leaders. The AoC's claim that
average pay for full time lecturers is £25,000 is 'totally
misleading', says NATFHE. The AoC's pay analysis ignores the
thousands of part-time lecturers who make up two thirds of the FE
teaching force, and includes the salaries of better paid managers
which bump up the pay figures. Recent pay research commissioned
jointly by the AoC and college unions put full-time lecturers' pay
at £22,500.
The AoC's bizarre claim that lecturers earn the same as
schoolteachers is not consistent with their offer in negotiations to
work with the unions on a plan to phase out the pay gap by September
2004.
Paul Mackney, NATFHE general secretary said:
'With one misleading statement the AoC have opened the door for
the government to get off the hook. They've undermined all our
efforts to secure extra government cash for further education's core
services and lecturers' pay - just when MPs are taking up the issues
in the House of Commons.
'There is now a danger that the government will think there is no
problem to address. We need to knock on the head the myth that
lecturers have suddenly caught up with school teachers. The figures
just don't square with what our members know to be true on the
ground. Funding is urgently needed, dedicated to staff pay, to
resolve the crisis.
'Colleges clearly don't have enough cash to do it on their own -
next year's core funding per student is expected to drop by 4%. It
seems that it is down to college staff to fight for the service by
whichever means we can'.
A joint national review of
staffing and pay was carried out by ORC International for the AoC
and college unions. It's findings were published in March 2001.The
survey found that fractional part-time lecturers' average earnings
were £19,000. Hourly paid part-time lecturers earn about £14,000.
NATFHE
members will be balloted on the offer from 5 September. The results
will be released at the end of September.
11
May
2001
It's YES for
strike action! All out on 22 May
Members have voted decisively for strike action and action short
of strike in support of this years pay claim of £3000. The results
of the ballot held across 280 colleges in England and Wales are as
follows:
STRIKE ACTION
Number of votes cast in
ballot: 15,093
Number of YES votes: 9,714
Number of NO votes: 5,120
Number of spoilt ballot
papers: 259
ACTION SHORT OF A STRIKE
Number of votes cast in
ballot: 15,093
Number of YES votes: 12,743
Number of NO votes: 2,009
Number of spoilt ballot
papers: 341
On a good turnout of 50%, over 65% voted for strike action and
over 86% for action short of strike.
We now have the opportunity to publicly demonstrate our anger at
the appalling pay levels in FE and demand decent professional
salaries comparable to those in the schools.
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?
All members who were
balloted are instructed by the union to take strike action for the
day on 22 May 2001 ie you should do no work on that day, on or off
college premises.
Volunteer for picket line and
leafleting duty on the day. It is very important that the strike day
gets the maximum publicity. The media will want pictures and its
also quite pleasant meeting your colleagues!
Attend any events e.g.
rallies, demonstrations, public meetings, petitioning that your
branch or region organises on the day.
QUESTIONS?
Does anyone know how the members voted in our college?
The votes in the ballot were aggregated only into a national vote.
All members in the 280 colleges are therefore covered by the result.
No individual names were supplied to employers.
Do I have to inform my management that I am on strike?
You are under no obligation to do so. Contact your branch officers
if you have any problems
Am I breaking my contract by striking?
Like most industrial action striking does involve a breach of your
contract. however the union has carried out statutory balloting
arrangements to ensure that the union gains protection from
employers action.
Can I be sacked?
A dismissal for taking part in industrial action within eight weeks
from the start of any protected official industrial action will be
unfair. After eight weeks it can also be unfair dismissal if the
employer selectively sacks individuals for taking industrial action.
Please remember, the greater the number of people who support the
action the less likely it will be that employers will try to take
action against individuals. Unity is strength.
How much money will I lose?
The actual amount will depend on the nature of the contract at your
college and the policy of your employer. Contact your branch
officers for more information.
How will it effect my pension?
The effect on your length of service of a day's strike is very small
(less than 70p a year for a salary of £20,000). Those in their last
year of service may have an additional small cost but contact your
branch officer as it may be possible to avoid this.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?
Following the strike day you will receive further information on
the action members will be taking short of strike. This will be
decided at the union's annual conference on the weekend of 26/28
May.
10
May 2001
FE members vote to strike
College lecturers in England and Wales have voted for a one-day
strike on 22 May to back NATFHE's pay claim for £3000. Members also
voted 'yes' for action short of strike. The type of action will be
decided at the FE sector conference that will be held during
National Conference weekend in Scarborough on Sunday 27 May.
The ballot result is:
on a 50% turnout, 9,714 (65%)
voted yes for strike action - 5,120 of those taking part voted no (a
majority of 2:1 in favour)
12,743 (86%) voted yes for
action short of strike - 2,009 voted no, resulting in a majority of
more than 6:1 in favour.
Members requiring further information can ring the FE Action room
on 020 7520 1034/1035.
9
April 2001
Vote YES for action
NATFHE is urging its members in FE colleges to vote 'yes' for
industrial action in support of this year's interim pay claim of £3,000
for all lecturers. The union is going ahead with a national ballot
for a one day strike on 22 May and action short of strike, after
college employers failed to respond positively to the claim.
The ballot will open on 25 April, closing on 9 May. The ballot
result will be based on a nationally aggregated count of all the
colleges taking part.
6
April 2001
College employers fail to respond
Union negotiators formally presented NATFHE's pay claim to the
National Joint Forum on 3 April. The union is demanding £3,000 for
lecturers and managers, as the first step in a four year staged
award to close the pay gap between teachers and lecturers. The
Association of Colleges have had the pay claim since 29 January, but
have yet to respond. The employers' body says it will now consult
its membership before responding to the union's claim. They will
most likely make an offer at the next meeting of the NJF on 15 May.
NATFHE's negotiators also presented other elements of the pay
claim on 3 April.
Fair
Pay Campaign Starts Now!
With
the gap between lecturers' and school teachers' pay continuing to
widen, sector conference delegates at their meeting on 20 January
decided that enough is enough. An immediate interim flat rate claim
for £3000 for all full and part-time teaching staff (including
those on LEA or Silver Book contracts) has consequently been
submitted to the FE employers and notified to the other unions. This
is sought as the first stage of an award to be implemented over the
next four years to bring lecturers into line with teachers. NATFHE
negotiators have been charged with reporting to the national
executive in respect of this claim by the end of February. If no
agreement on the interim claim is reached members will be balloted
on a programme of industrial action starting with a one day strike
on 1 May 2001.
NATFHE
will be submitting another claim for 2001-2002 for formal
negotiations to achieve a national conditions of service agreement
for lecturers in line with NATFHE policy, detailing holiday
entitlements, and weekly/annual maximum working and contact hours.
Current
national policy is for: 14 weeks holiday; a 30 hour week; maximum
contact hours of 20 weekly and 720 annually. This claim will also
seek: an end to pay banding and spot pay; a national pay structure
with a system of pay progression; equal permanent contractual
treatment for full and part-time teaching staff; a £4000 increase
in the London allowance; and a formula for adequate time off for lay
officers.
Region
after region at the sector conference condemned any attempt by
employers to introduce performance related pay on the grounds
that it is divisive, damaging to morale and impossible to implement
in the college context where pay 'systems' are already widely
perceived to be unfair and often discriminatory. A pay increase that
includes PRP would be unacceptable.
In
preparation for potential action, Branches will be asked to begin
checking membership lists in early February and are urged to respond
swiftly to head office requests to ensure that the tight timescale
can be met.
If
national negotiations on the interim claim break down disputes will
have to be declared in every college to comply with the law. Then
the ballot will commence and the result will be declared in mid
April on a fully aggregated basis, i.e. not the result on a college
by college basis.
JOIN
NATFHE AND FIGHT FOR A BETTER DEAL FOR YOU AND YOUR COLLEAGUES. ELS
STAFF ARE MORE THAN WELCOME. WE SAY DITCH AGENCIES. ALL STAFF SHOULD
HAVE EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS
NATFHE
CALLS FOR FRESH START AT BARNSLEY COLLEGE
NATFHE
has called for a fresh start at Barnsley College after two senior
managers were suspended and an investigation into the college's
finances was launched by the Further Education Funding Council.
The
FE Funding Council is expected to appoint two new governors for the
college and an acting principal. NATFHE is urging the new management
to work in partnership with staff unions to plan a way forward for
the troubled college that will not involve staff redundancies.
In
particular, the union is concerned about the implications of a
possible £6 million claw back from the Funding Council because of
the college's failure to hit student recruitment targets. The
college is currently working on a recovery plan, but the union
warned that any compulsory staff redundancies would result in
industrial action.
Among
the issues under investigation is the college's link with the
private training company Progress Training. The union has previously
expressed concern about the company's connection to the lecturing
agency, Education Lecturing Services (ELS). Nearly one third of the
teaching at Barnsley College is done by self-employed lecturers
supplied through ELS, which undermines the quality of teaching at
the college, says NATFHE.
The
union is now calling for:
the new management to open negotiations on an agreed contract of
employment
a
halt to the use of ELS and college contracts for all agency
lecturers
the appointment of college governors who are representative of the
community; including two staff governors
implementation of the 3.3% pay rise for lecturers agreed nationally
last year.
Paul
Mackney, NATFHE's General Secretary said:
'We
need a fresh start at Barnsley which recognises the hard work and
dedication of the staff who have built the college's good reputation
within the community. They have a lot to be proud of. Any new
approach must be based on trust and respect for staff and their
efforts.
'Further
education is still under-funded and many colleges look for
short-cuts, but we cannot accept a situation where the staff and
students carry the can for the failings of college managers.'
2
March 2001
INVESTMENT IN TEACHING QUALITY IS
THE KEY TO STUDENT SUCCESS IN FE,
SAYS NATFHE
Student achievement and retention in further education colleges
would be greatly improved by a substantial investment in teaching,
says NATFHE - the University & College Lecturers' Union, today
(Friday 2 March). The union was responding to a report published by
the National Audit Office, Improving Student performance: How
English further education colleges can improve student retention and
achievement.
The union welcomed the report's recognition of the main factors that
undermine student achievement in FE colleges, including increasing
levels of financial hardship. NATFHE has long argued that the
Education Maintenance Grant for post-16 students, including adults
should be re-introduced to encourage students to remain in full time
study.
The
difference in performance between sixth form colleges and
general FE colleges bears out the union's warning about the dangers
of a two-tier post-16 system. Increasing selection in post-16
education results in FE colleges teaching many students with poor
experiences of learning. Additional resources and teaching support
are needed to help students with lesser academic skills to achieve,
says NATFHE.
Improving
FE lecturers' pay, conditions and qualifications to the
level of schoolteachers and sixth form college lecturers would
vastly improve teaching quality in colleges and student attainment.
FE
college lecturers' pay is at least 10% behind that of school
teachers and sixth form lecturers. The rise in student numbers has
also meant unacceptable increases in workload.
Over
fifty per cent of FE college teaching is done by part-time
staff on short term contracts. Part-time lecturers have little
access to professional development and are unable to provide
consistent support to students.
Paul
Mackney, NATFHE General Secretary said:
'No-one should underestimate the great achievement of general FE
colleges in providing a second or third chance for young people and
adults written off by the system. Comparing FE colleges to sixth
forms is not comparing like with like.
'Colleges can meet the government's learning, access and retention
targets if it invests in high quality teaching. That means a fully
qualified teaching force with lecturers earning a professional rate
of pay for delivering a professional service.
2
March 2001
Barnet College lecturers' strike
over pay and workload
Lecturers at Barnet College staged a 24-hour walk out on 1 March in
a dispute over new contracts and low pay at the recently merged
college. General Secretary Paul Mackney addressed over 200 Barnet
members at an end-of-strike rally.
1
March 2001
NATFHE joins parliamentary
e-community NATFHE today became the fourth major union to establish
our own microsite on the fast developing ePolitix portal, relaying
news and
views to MPs, civil servants, researchers and journalists, and
hosting hundreds of individual MP web sites. This initiative gives
the union an additional means of getting its views across to key
players in political decision-making and will be an important
component in our work to raise further and higher education issues
in the run-up to the general election.
1
March 2001
Not quite full!
1,149 people signed up for NATFHE membership in the month of
February. With applications increasing by leaps and bounds the
union's ability to campaign for
college, university and other staff
grows ever stronger. We're not quite full up however, so if your
work involves teaching or researching in a post-school environment.
20
February 2001
Pay campaign material goes out
Posters, leaflets and stickers drawing attention to the gap between
teachers' and lecturers' pay have been distributed to all FE
branches.
13
February 2001
Fresh start call for Barnsley
College
NATFHE has called for a fresh start at Barnsley College following
the suspension of two senior managers and an investigation into
college finances launched by the Further Education Funding Council.
13
February 2001
Basildon College Chief Exec's
departure overdue, says NATFHE Basildon NATFHE welcomed the
resignation of Basildon College
principal Mr. Chris Chapman, calling it 'long overdue'. Mr. Chapman
was suspended on full pay last March following a damning inspection
report and investigation into declining standards.
8
February 2001
Pension rights for part-time staff:
House of Lords rules on union
cases
Part-time lecturers are joining thousands of workers in welcoming
today's Lords ruling allowing PT workers to claim back-dated pension
rights as far back as 1976.
If you have registered an interest in this issue with NATFHE, please
do not contact the union's legal and pensions staff individually;
further advice will be issued as the position becomes clearer, and
you will soon receive a letter fully setting out the background to
the case and the current position .
30
January 2001
Patience runs out on pay
NATFHE has today submitted a claim for a £3,000 increase for FE
lecturers to close the gap with school teachers' pay.
21
January
2001
Go for £3,000, says conference
NATFHE should go for a flat rate pay increase of £3,000 for FE
lecturers in 2001/02, said a special meeting of the national FE
sector conference on 20 January. And the union should demand that FE
pay be brought in line with that of school teachers over a four year
period.
16
January 2001
Pressure on colleges to pay 3.3%
NATFHE continues to pile on the pressure to persuade colleges which
have not yet paid a 3.3% cost of living increase, due to lecturing
staff on 1 August 2000, to pay up immediately. The campaign is
really producing results.
Some 80 colleges still had not paid the increase as of 15 January.
NATFHE general secretary Paul Mackney sent a letter to those college
principals demanding the specific reasons for non-payment. The union
also offered to make joint representations with colleges to
government ministers, along with the Association of Colleges, for
extra funds to help individual cash-strapped colleges pay the award.
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