The National Education Union has officially ended its sixth form college teacher pay dispute against the government.
Over three in four union members voted to accept a revised pay deal for non-academised sixth form colleges of 4.3 per cent.
Teachers in non-academised sixth form colleges were excluded from the 5.5 per cent pay award offered to teachers in schools and academised sixth forms last year.
Since then, the union has been embroiled in a bitter row with the government and the Sixth Form Colleges Association, which has seen eight days of strikes in 32 sixth form colleges.
A further two days of strikes were called off while the union consulted on a revised pay award after the government provided £50 million towards teacher pay.
Additional funding meant the Sixth Form Colleges Association could increase the pay award for standalone sixth form colleges to 4.3 per cent.
In a ballot of NEU members, 78.6 per cent approved the deal on a turnout of 64.6 per cent.
No more ‘two tier’ pay deals
Central to the NEU’s concession was a “firm, written assurance” that future pay awards would be equal across 16-19 providers – ending the practice of non-academised sixth form college teachers receiving a different pay award to their counterparts in academised sixth form colleges and schools.
Ministers have said publicly they “aim [to ensure] that all 16 to 19 providers are funded on an equitable basis from 2025 to 2026.”
Teachers of 16-19 year old students in non-academised sixth form colleges, further education colleges and independent training providers are not in scope of the School Teachers’ Review Body’s annual recommended pay awards.
However, teachers in school sixth forms and academised sixth form colleges are in scope and received a share of £1.2 billion made available for a 5.5 per cent pay rise for academic year 2024-25.
Despite the “aim”, it remains to be seen whether efforts by post-16 unions and college representatives will result in all teachers being included in future pay awards given constraints on public finances.
The additional £50 million was part of a £300 million package announced at the budget. The remaining funding will be made available in 16 to 19 funding rates for academic year 2025 to 2026, with the “aim of ensuring that all 16 to 19 providers are funded on an equitable basis from 2025 to 2026”.
The Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA), which negotiates pay awards with unions, said the end of the dispute was good news for students and teachers.
Bill Watkin, SFCA chief executive, said: “We are delighted that National Education Union members who teach in non-academised sixth form colleges have voted overwhelmingly to end their dispute.
“This is good news for students who have experienced eight days of disruption to their education, and good news for staff who will now receive an above inflation pay award of 4.3%”.
College rows
Further education college teacher union UCU has so far not balloted for national strike action on teacher pay.
Members of the NASUWT union in 23 sixth form colleges recently voted to strike unless a 5.5 per cent pay award backdated to September 2024 is implemented.
Mysteriously, the union did not release the names of the 23 colleges and included its members in academised sixth form colleges, that received the pay deal, in its ballot.
With the NEU dispute now at an end, Watkin “hopes that the NASUWT will not proceed with its planned industrial action in 23 sixth form colleges”.
Concrete guarantees
NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede said his union’s industrial action to date has “boosted funding to the sector for an above-inflation pay award, guaranteed the integrity of their collective bargaining and safeguarded the future of the sixth form college sector into the long term”.
“There was no need for the government to have let this dispute run on when a fair solution was readily at hand. While the concrete guarantees we have secured will ensure that two-tier pay offers do not reoccur in future, we need to see far more investment in sixth form colleges and FE overall.
“By standing their ground against a clear pay injustice, our sixth form college teachers have spoken for the post-16 sector as a whole”.
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