樱花动漫

As members walk out at the six striking colleges*, ballots at 26 more institutions^ will open. Those ballots close on Wednesday 19 December.

The dispute centres on the failure of college bosses to make a decent pay offer to staff who have seen their pay decline by 25% over the last decade. The pay gap between teachers in colleges and schools currently stands at 拢7,000.

While the chancellor found 拢400m for for schools in the recent budget, he did nothing to boost funding in colleges. This was despite a recent report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies that that revealed how funding for colleges had been cut '' since 2010 than any other area of education.

The union said low pay was bad for staff, students and colleges. Around two-thirds of college heads said pay is a major obstacle for them when it comes to attracting staff. A warned that cuts in English further education funding have weakened colleges and that staff had not received a pay rise for an 'unconscionably long time'.

樱花动漫 head of policy and campaigns Matt Waddup said: 'Staff in further education colleges have seen their pay systematically eroded in recent years and are being paid 拢7,000 less than schoolteachers. 

'While the government must take the blame for their failure to invest in further education, colleges can and must do more to support their staff. Staff at six colleges in England will be leading the strikes this winter as ballots open at another 26 institutions.

'樱花动漫 will continue to campaign for more investment from the government but whether this is forthcoming or not, strikes are likely to continue in the new year until colleges show that they are at last prioritising their staff.'

* Colleges where 樱花动漫 members are on strike on Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 November:
Bath College
Bradford College
Croydon College
Lambeth College
New College Swindon
Petroc

^ The 26 colleges where ballots on pay will open on Wednesday 28 November (and close on Wednesday 19 December):
Abingdon & Witney College
Barnsley College
Bournville College
Bridgwater and Taunton College
Carshalton College
City College Plymouth
City Literary Institute
City of Bristol College
City of Wolverhampton College
Coventry College
East Riding College
East Sussex College Group
Harlow College
Havering College
Hugh Baird College
Kendal College
Kingston College
Leicester College
Morley College
Richmond upon Thames College
South and City College Birmingham
South Thames College
Strode College
Truro and Penwith College
West Thames College
Wiltshire College