5/9/2008 7:38:00 AM
The TES; 9 May
Action over 2.5 per cent pay offer could be stepped up if demands for parity with schoolteachers are not met. A day of protest will be held across the country as lecturers press for equal pay with schoolteachers. With further talks scheduled for June 5, the University and College Union (UCU) said the protests would take place outside colleges the previous day – but it will stop short of taking industrial action until further discussions have taken place with employers. The Association of Colleges (AoC) has offered a pay rise of 2.5 per cent – a higher initial offer than in previous years – but the UCU said it was in a strong position to press for more, with other unions prepared to offer support in a national day of demonstrations. The Association for College Management, Unison, Unite, the GMB and the Association of Teachers and Lecturers are all demanding a better deal for lecturers and non-teaching staff in colleges. Barry Lovejoy, head of colleges at the UCU, said details of the protests, which could take place during the lunch hour, are still to be worked out, but the aim will be to bring the FE pay issue to the attention of the wider public. “I think it is significant that the unions are coming together on this,” he said. “I know we have the support of the students, and I am sure most of the colleges will take part – most of them having taken part in the strike.” While the other unions have not voted for industrial action, the UCU held a one-day strike which coincided with the action of the National Union of Teachers on April 24.
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