Lambeth College staff who have been on strike since June 3 over new contracts went back to work today — just two days before the summer break.

The move, which means workers will be entitled to full holiday pay having returned to work before the end of the college year, comes after three days of talks between college principal Mark Silverman (pictured below) and the University and College Union (UCU), which accepted an hour’s increase in teaching per week to 36.

However, staff are still refusing to accept a 10-day reduction in annual leave entitlement to 50 days — and the UCU warned further industrial action next year was possible.

A UCU spokesperson said: “We have succeeded in getting management to talk to us despite the principal’s initial refusal to do so while we were still out on strike.

“Our action has also led to a small amount of movement on the contracts, and we now believe that further action next year can keep up the pressure and get a better deal.”

Mr Silverman has said the terms of the new contract, which was introduced from April 1, were “in line with sector norms,” but the UCU  has said it would leave staff with longer working hours, less sick pay and less annual leave.

“I am deeply disappointed that despite three days of negotiations with UCU, the members rejected the proposal taken to them by the full time officers,” said Mr Silverman.

“We are clear that the new contract for new staff will remain in place.  We had moved on to talk about how there might be changes in the contract for existing staff and made very constructive proposals, including the reduction in holiday pay being phased in over a four-year period with staff agreeing to teach an additional one hour per week from September 2015.

“Even these extremely moderate changes have been rejected by the union.”

The return to work comes amid UCU claims that Mr Silverman had threatened to axe courses for disabled students and English for Speakers of Other Languages (Esol) if it did not accept the new contract proposals.

He said the courses had been put at risk by the strike, adding that it would be “irresponsible to recruit students if the teachers weren’t guaranteed to be there in September”.

The UCU, which had been supporting strikers by paying them £50 a-day in lieu of college wages, said the return to work would allow it to “get a fresh mandate” from members for the new academic year, adding that staff had committed to working during the enrolment period “to secure the future of the college”.

The UCU spokesperson said: “All efforts were made on the union’s part to reach an agreement that would bring the dispute to an end. Unfortunately, management put forward a proposal that shows very little movement on the new contracts.”

Mr Silverman has said the contract change was part of the college’s recovery plan following financial deficits of £4.1m in 2012/13 and £3.5m this year.

“I am absolutely clear that we have to deliver these changes to be fit for purpose,” he said.

“I have thanked the overwhelming majority of staff who have worked extra hard to cover those who chose to go on strike. The strike has achieved absolutely nothing in terms of changing the college’s resolve to deliver improved outcomes.

“In the short term, it has caused the setback for some learners, which I deeply regret and which should have been avoided. Union members have simply put themselves before the students. It is as simple as that.

“UCU needs to understand that it is contributing to the potential decline of the college and damaging its future, putting everyone’s jobs at risk.”

City College Coventry principal Steve Logan started in post just this week, and one of the first items on his desk was a requires improvement inspection result from Ofsted.

But with the college having previously received a disastrous report that branded it inadequate, the new grade was welcomed.

In an exclusive Q&A with FE Week, Mr Logan discusses the report — and what’s next for the college.

The latest result must have been the first thing you’ve dealt with at the college. Were you aware of the previous inadequate result and what’s been happening at the college since then?

I’ve been in touch with the college and I’ve been aware of where it’s been going before I came here, but it’s been very welcomed to no longer be inadequate.

It’s a particularly good report and we’ve got some grade twos in there as well. We recognise, obviously, that there’s still a lot of work to do and we’re already on with that journey and I’ve taken a flying start to that this week, along with staff here.

There is an acknowledgement of the work that has been done to turn the college around by leaders, managers and governors, but also teaching staff as well, their expectations of learners being particularly high now. The other bit is this sort of pride that the students felt in the college and the high level of support that they get while they are here.

And the Skills Funding Agency lifted the notice of concern with the improved Ofsted grade, so what is happening next for you?

We’ll be developing an updated post-inspection action plan, so it’s pretty much business as usual for us. We’ve got to maintain intensity of focus on improvement that we had previously, so we’re not going to change that — that’s one of the key messages that I’ll be saying.

We need to focus on the core business, which is the student experience, and most importantly the quality of teaching, learning and assessment. And that will be very much at the heart of the work that I’ll be leading. You will see in the report that there is emphasis on things like target-setting, you know, even greater focus on developing maths and English as key skills for all learners, and other things such as equality and diversity, which we have already done a lot of work on but something that needs further embedding.

We need a little bit longer to try and embed those changes and see that the real evidence and impact that those things are having in terms of retention and achievement and the overall success and progression of learners etc. And probably the only other thing that is going to be a key aspect for us is developing our focus on employability, and through that, increasing the amount of work experience that our learners get.

But we’ve done an awful lot of work already, working with employers to develop employer board in Coventry with our key employers, and they are going to play an increasing role I think in influencing the design of that curriculum, including work experience, in the future. The good thing for me is the route map is there.

What specific things are you going to be looking for? What KPIs [key performance indicators] are you going to be keeping your eye on?

We’ve got some inconsistencies, and you will see the word ‘inconsistent’ a few times in our report. So we’ve got lots of really good practice, both in teaching and learning and assessment, and in outcomes for learners, they’re not the same throughout the college — so I think the key message is, we have got to strive towards greater consistency in all areas so that good practice is shared across the college, and that the outcomes for learners — which are good and improving in many areas — are also good and improving in some of the weaker areas that we know about, which we continue to improve on.

What changes are you putting into place?

I think for us, the keys to the direction the college has taken in recent months around focusing on the needs of Coventry as a city, and our partnership with the local enterprise partnership and the city council, that’s pretty much the only change. We’re going to be focusing very much more about our own learners, our own communities, and their employers, and making that very much the single focus of what we do. And within that, we are looking at the economic needs of Coventry. I think we will be turning our attentions to that broader work of getting people into the labour market, and making our city strong economically. I mean, strive for skills and education of the workforce that’s needed.

Are there any issues in terms of finances or staffing levels?

There are strains on college finances across the sector; we’re no different from any other college, so we’re having to face up to those now. I think the vast majority of colleges are having to make some really difficult decisions about staffing levels now, they’re ongoing, we have recognised that these are difficult times for staff, so having been buoyed by the success of Ofsted, we’re out meeting the realities of reduced funding next year and having to balance our budget — that’s a difficult job for any college, and Coventry is no different.

Nothing has been done yet though, has it?

Locally, at the same time that the Ofsted inspection has been going on, we’ve been having to consult with staff about restructuring and staffing reductions overall for next year, so we’re in the midst of that now but I’m picking it up. But again, I think pretty much almost every college — certainly our region, but elsewhere — is probably in a similar vein. We are having to balance budgets, not just for next year but ongoing, and that will be something that probably we’ll need to continue to do into next year as well.

We have been looking at losing around 70-odd staff across a range of areas really, the whole college. But the positive slant on that is that we have obviously dealt with a majority of those through voluntary severance and through redeployment — and we’re probably down actually now to about only 15 or so compulsory redundancies.To get from that quite high figure down to that low number for compulsory redundancies is testament to the work that the staff and the colleges here, but working with our unions as well. It’s difficult for everybody, but it’s necessary to really put the college on a firm footing moving forward, because financially, all colleges are struggling at the moment to meet those funding issues that are coming along.

Labour has accused the Conservatives of playing “catch-up” on tech baccs after just five colleges were revealed to be planning to run courses that would count towards the new performance measure.

The tech bacc level three performance measure for 16 to 19-year-olds will be made up of a tech-level vocational qualification, a maths qualification and an in-depth industry-research project and will count towards school and college rankings from 2016/17.

However, just five colleges and two schools signed up to offer qualifications which will be included in the scope of the TechBacc from September, prompting Shadow Junior Education Minister Rushanara Ali (pictured) to hit out over a “lack of take-up”.

She also said the Conservatives were playing “catch-up” because when Skills Minister Matthew Hancock first announced the government’s tech bacc idea in 2012, then-Shadow Education Minister Stephen Twigg accused him of “stealing” a Labour’s idea. Ms Ali told FE Week: “The government is still playing catch-up with Labour’s proposals for a gold-standard Technical Baccalaureate — but without success.

She added: “The lack of take-up on the government’s tech bacc is more evidence that the Conservatives have failed deliver for the ‘forgotten 50 per cent’ — those young people who do not wish to pursue the traditional academic route to university. Their talents are being wasted.

“Mr Gove has left young people without proper access to high-quality vocational pathways.”

The colleges that have signed up as tech bacc “Trailblazers” were Barnet and Southgate College, Blackpool Sixth Form College, Brockenhurst College, South Cheshire College and Warwickshire College.

Mr Hancock said: “These seven schools and colleges will lead the way in teaching a combination of demanding technical skills, maths and independent research. Young people who achieve the tech bacc will have a set of qualifications that stands them in good stead for the world of work. It will be the gold-standard measure for young people who want a technically skilled job or apprenticeship.

“In combination with our other reforms to vocational and academic education, the tech bacc will provide high-quality technical training, giving Britain the skilled and responsive workforce it needs to compete, and give all young people the opportunity to reach their potential.”