NEU calls off sixth form college strikes

Union suspends this week's planned 2-day walk out as it consults members on 4.3% pay offer

Union suspends this week's planned 2-day walk out as it consults members on 4.3% pay offer

Sixth form college teachers in the National Education Union have called off further strikes after receiving “firm assurances around future pay parity”.

A planned walkout for Thursday and Friday is no longer going ahead while the union consults members on a pay offer from the Sixth Form Colleges Association.

Eight days of strikes have taken place so far, including one that was held last week despite the offer on the table rising from 2 per cent to 4.3 per cent in December.

The SFCA increased the pay recommendation after securing £50 million from the government following a threat of a judicial review, which will be pumped into colleges this academic year to help with wages.

After initially rejecting the 4.3 per cent offer last month, an NEU spokesperson told FE Week today: “The strike action planned for Thursday 6 February and Friday 7 February has been suspended while we consult members in non-academised sixth form colleges on the pay offer from SFCA, now that we have received firm assurances around future pay parity.”

FE Week understands the “firm assurances” the NEU is referring to is the government’s promise, made in January, to “aim” to “ensure that all 16 to 19 providers are funded on an equitable basis from 2025 to 2026”.

The NEU’s spokesperson added: “We have received firm, written assurances from the SFCA, secured from government, that there will be no two-tier pay offers put forward in future years and all pay awards will have a single pay settlement date.”

Strike action stems from the government’s decision to inject £1.2 billion into schools and 16 to 19 academies over the summer to help fund a 5.5 per cent pay rise for teachers in 2024/25.

No cash was offered to sixth form colleges or general FE colleges to help with the workforce until last month’s £50 million pay deal.

While the NEU has suspended its strikes, another teacher union – NASUWT – currently has a live ballot for industrial action in standalone sixth form colleges, which is due to conclude next week.

Responding to the NEU’s decision today, Bill Watkin, chief executive of the SFCA, said he was “delighted to implement the employers’ pay offer that will see hard-working teachers in sixth form colleges receive a significant pay increase this year and end the disruption to students’ education caused by ongoing strike action”.

He added: “Following SFCA’s legal challenge and protracted discussions with the Department for Education, an additional £50 million grant was made available to colleges and that enabled us to increase our pay offer from 2 per cent to 4.3 per cent.

“The department also agreed to use all the funding for further education announced at the budget to boost the 16 to 19 funding rate and made a commitment to treat all 16 to 19 providers equally when it comes to teacher pay. 

“Taken together, this has helped put an end to this dispute which is good news for students, staff and industrial relations in the sector.”

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