Staff at Lancaster and Morecambe College planning to strike for better pay and working conditions
Staff at Lancaster and Morecambe College are planning three days of strike action next week after college bosses refused to make a fair offer over pay and working conditions, the University and College Union (UCU) confirmed today (Friday January 9).
UCU members are planning to be on strike on Wednesday, January 14, Thursday, January 15 and Friday, January 16.
Staff will be on picket lines at from 8am till 9.30am on all three days at Lancaster & Morecambe College, Morecambe Road, Lancaster, LA1 2TY.
Striking staff from across England will rally at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster from 12pm on Friday, January 16.
UCU, alongside its sister unions NEU, GMB, UNISON and Unite, is calling for a New Deal for FE, including pay parity with schoolteachers, national workload agreements and a binding national bargaining framework.
The union is pressing employers to work with them to implement meaningful sectoral bargaining so further education can avoid the cycle of strike ballots and disruption over the past few years.
Employer body, the Association of Colleges (AoC), recommended a pay uplift of 4% but colleges do not have to follow it, and many have failed to do so in previous pay rounds. The average college teacher earns £9,000 less than their counterpart in schools.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “Industrial action is a last resort for our members, but staff at Lancaster and Morecambe College have been left with no choice. There is still time for management to make a fair offer that helps close the pay gap between school and college teachers.
“Our demands are reasonable, and management needs to look to those colleges that worked with us to settle their disputes. Employers must now agree to meaningful sectoral bargaining so further education can avoid the cycle of strike ballots and disruption that we have seen over the past few years.”
A spokesman for Lancaster and Morecambe College said: “We are surprised to learn that the UCU has issued a press release regarding the potential industrial action next week, when negotiations are still on going.
“Whilst we anticipate some disruption to timetabled sessions if the action goes ahead, LMC campus will remain open throughout for students to attend exams and most scheduled classes.
"Learners will be advised in advance if any of their classes are unable to go ahead.
“All other College services, including buses and catering facilities, will operate as normal.
“We are hopeful that this situation will be reconciled and we will keep all relevant stakeholders informed.”