Up to 80% of colleges in England will be affected by a lecturers' strike next week, union leaders claimed today.
A large majority of members of the lecturers' union Natfhe have voted for a one-day strike next Wednesday. A national demonstration will be held in Birmingham to coincide with a meeting of college leaders, which will be addressed by the education secretary, Ruth Kelly.
Natfhe claims that 65% of English colleges have failed to implement last year's pay deal. The union has rejected a 2.8% offer for this year. Members are calling for a 7% rise to begin closing the pay gap between college teachers and those in school sixth-forms, who earn on average 10% more.
College bosses say they are underfunded and cannot afford to match the pay rate in schools and industry.
Natfhe's head of colleges, Barry Lovejoy, said: "The government tells us that further education is the 'engine of a successful, dynamic economy' so why does it leave our colleges running on empty?
"Our members are angry and resentful that whilst more and more is expected of them, their pay is slipping further and further behind schoolteachers'. Given a choice between colleges and schools, it is not hard to see which new recruits would opt for. With 50% of the further education workforce due to retire within a decade, this is a disaster waiting to happen."
Sue Dutton, deputy chief executive of the Association of Colleges, which represents college principals, said she did not expect the strike to cause major disruption at colleges. "In those locations where action will take place, colleges will, of course, endeavour to minimise disruption to their students."
She added that colleges struggled to match the wages offered in schools and in industry.
"If the college sector is to stand at the forefront of the new skills strategy they do need to be able to pay wages that will not only allow them to retain skilled staff, but also to attract high calibre graduates and industrial experts. "Ultimately it is unfortunate that Natfhe has decided to highlight this issue with industrial action, while the other four main further education unions have accepted a national pay deal and are working with their local colleges to implement pay modernisation."
