Strike action at cash-strapped Lambeth College has been cancelled after union members managed to negotiate a 3 per cent pay rise, additional leave and a reduction in teaching hours.
Members of the University and College Union at the college have walked out for a total of 10 days since November in a long-running pay dispute, but today called off further action due to take place in June.
The college, which merged with London South Bank University earlier this year, has agreed to a staff pay rise of between 2 per cent and 3 per cent, backdated to September 2018, with an extra payment of £250 to all staff earning a full time equivalent salary of less than £26,000.
All staff will also receive six months’ full sick pay entitlement and six months’ half sick pay entitlement.
Moreover, teaching staff who are on a contract introduced in 2014 will receive an additional five days’ annual leave and a reduction in their annualised teaching hours from 864 to 828 – or 24 to 23 hours per week.
These contract changes will take effect from the September 1, 2019.
According to its 2017/18 accounts, the college had a deficit before tax of £6.1m.
Strikes were due to take place next month after UCU members claimed their pay was falling behind in real-terms “after years of below inflation deals”.
Una O’Brien, UCU regional official, said: “Too often colleges hide behind low levels of government investment to avoid giving their staff proper pay and conditions. This deal shows what can be achieved when colleges work with us to avoid disruption and look after their staff.”
A college spokesperson said: “The college recognises that prior to this year it had been five years since the college had made a pay offer to its staff. We recognise that this has been a challenging time for our staff and were keen to address this as we begin a new stage in the history of Lambeth College as part of the London South Bank University family.”
Lambeth College, which is dependent on government bailouts, has been in big financial trouble since 2016, when a “significant deterioration” in its cashflow prompted an intervention by the former FE commissioner Sir David Collins.
His report, based on a visit that September, found problems with the college’s finances that were so severe it was “no longer sustainable” unless it merged.
In December 2016 the college announced it would “join the London South Bank University family in principle”, which was finally completed in January 2019.
This is a very generous package and based on the current financial status of the College and the sector as a whole, is this sustainable?
I can’t imagine this will be a bench mark for the sector but it’ll be interesting to see how this works.
Oh dear. If I recall the union went on a very distructive 2 month strike in 2014 during exams ( on,y returning 2 days before their summer holidays) and then going off again at the start of the new term. If I recall this because of new contracts for new teachers starting only reducing annual leave by 5 days to 47 days. Existing teachers were not affected.
Any existing teacher was offered an incentive to take the new contract ( at their choice) for a £1500 payout. I bet many did.
And 4 years later having taken the money they go back to their old contract . Great use of tax payer money.
What next: A strike for all those existing teachers that didn’t take the money and the new contract and believe they are entitled to the same deal?
If LSBU believe that giving in to the union will build a bond to prevent further strikes they are in for a huge shock. This will spur them on for their next demand. Just search strikes at Lambth College and you see a long list over the years. Not sure you did yourself any favours by going backwards on an issue that was resolved in 2014.