A Teesside college group has settled a staff pay dispute after two years of “holding firm” by Universities and College Union (UCU) members.
The agreement between the Education Training Collective (ETC) and its staff covers three academic years between 2022 and 2024.
UCU said its members at ETC have carried out 13 days of strike action in the last 17 months.
But they have now voted to accept a pay offer that amounts to at least a 13.5 per cent increase for staff across the last three years, FE Week understands.
Some lecturers, course leaders and support staff will also see increases of about three per cent after the removal of the lowest pay scale and an increased top pay scale.
Staff parking charges will also be removed from all college campuses and additional wellbeing days will be introduced.
The group has more than 11,000 students at Bede Sixth Form College, NETA Training Group, Stockton Riverside College, The Skills Academy and Redcar and Cleveland College.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady congratulated ETC members for “holding firm” for the pay deal.
She added: “This award should now serve as a warning to other college bosses, pay our members fairly or face sustained strike action until we win.”
An ETC spokesperson said the college group is “delighted” with the agreement.
They added: “Etc. is committed to remunerating colleagues as fairly as possible without risking the financial health of the group.”
Learning of additional strikes in March this year, bosses said the group’s financial position meant it was “unable” to agree further pay increases.
From August this year, staff will receive a three per cent pay rise, half a percentage point higher than the Association of College’s recommendation last month.
But many of the pay increases announced by UCU today have been previously rejected, according to previous statements.
This includes a 3 per cent pay rise from August 2022, one per cent from May 2023, and a 6.5 per cent across-the-board pay rise implemented from November 2023.
According to its most recent available accounts, for 2022-23, the college had a ‘good’ financial health rating, with the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s main allocations amounting to about £23 million in 2023-24.
In 2022-23 the college finished the year with a surplus of £621,000, reserves of £23 million and long-term bank debt of £2.4 million.
This comes as the National Education Union (NEU) ballots teachers in 40 non-academised sixth form colleges for strike action over the decision to fund a 5.5 per cent pay award for schools and academised sixth form colleges. Balloting closes on November 7.
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