Students at two colleges in Greater Manchester are set to face disruption to the start of their academic year. Staff at the colleges will be on strike for two days at the start of September.
The University and College Union (UCU) has announced that its members will walk-out on September 6 and 7 in a row over pay. UCU members also walked out in May and June.
The action at The Manchester College and Oldham College will take place during the induction week for the institutions. Staff in colleges in Burnley and Liverpool will also be on strike.
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The union says it is demanding the colleges increase pay to meet the cost of living crisis. Its regional officer, Martyn Moss, said: “Industrial action is a last resort but following the repeated refusal of employers to give staff a proper pay rise we have been left with no choice but to announce further strikes.
“That staff at these colleges are prepared to lose another two days’ pay shows the strength of feeling amongst staff and we encourage employers to listen. College leaders can afford to pay staff more and must not force them to bear the brunt of soaring inflation and rising costs. Leaders now have until September to do the right thing and give staff a decent pay rise or face strike action across the region.”
The UCU also says the government increased funding targeted at those in England aged 16-17 years old, by 8.4 percent in 2021, which it calls ‘the biggest rise in funding for further education in more than decade and coming after £240m in additional funding announced in 2018’.
A spokesperson for The Manchester College said contingency plans will be in place if the strikes go on as planned. A statement added: “Given pay negotiations are already underway to ensure that all our colleagues receive a pay increase that will help to support them in the face of the current cost of living crisis, it is unfortunate that UCU has announced strike action prior to these talks being completed.
“Should the strike go ahead we will put in place contingency plans to mitigate disruption and ensure the year starts smoothly for our students.”
The Manchester Evening News has contacted Oldham College for comment.
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