Staff at Manchester College strike over low pay

Staff at one of the country's biggest further education colleges are striking as part of a row over pay.

Manchester College's University and College Union (UCU) members began 12 days of industrial action on Monday (May 15) after backing the move overwhelmingly in a ballot. It comes after a pay offer of 2.7% - which the UCU say is the lowest for colleges in the North-West - was rejected by members against a backdrop of a cost of living crisis.

The college, which has a number of campuses around the city, said they have put in place contingency arrangements to minimise disruption to their students, and added they are 'eager to reach a pay settlemet at the earliest opportunity'.

Strikes are currently set to continue between May 22 and May 26, and on June 5 and June 7.

UCU regional official Matt Arrowsmith said that Manchester College is 'financially healthy' and 'can afford to pay much more'.

"Staff always have the students' best interests at heart and only take action as a last resort," he said in a statement.

"We have seen so many colleagues leave and it is difficult to prepare students for summer exams and assessments in this uncertain environment. We call upon the college leadership to return to the table with a fair offer that reflects the hard work of staff and recognises the financial pressures placed upon them.'

But Manchester College said they were 'disappointed' by the UCU's decision to take industrial action following an offer of 2.7% pay increase, an additional one-off payment of 1.55%, and 'additional benefits' including enhanced annual leave and a reduction in the working week.

The college has a number of campuses across Manchester (Manchester College UCU)

"We are acutely aware of the financial pressures that our colleagues are currently facing and we are eager to reach a pay settlement at the earliest opportunity," a spokesperson said.

“We care about ensuring that our colleagues receive a fair pay rise that takes into account the rising cost of living and we continue to make the case for additional funding for the further education sector to fund improved pay. We recently called for government action to address the widening pay gap between staff in the FE sector and their counterparts in schools, and we have raised the urgency of this issue at the most senior levels of both national and regional government.

“We have put in place contingency arrangements to minimise disruption to our students and ensure as many as possible have been able to continue with their studies. This also has enabled us to ensure that scheduled exams and assessments have been able to go ahead as planned.”

They added that the 2022/23 pay award, once agreed, will be backdated to November 2022.

READ NEXT:

Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here