City of Bristol College Staff Strike Over Pay Dispute
‘Workload Overload’ were the words daubed on one placard held by a member of staff outside of the College Green Centre of the City of Bristol College this morning. Passing motorists beeped in solidarity as college staff went out on strike, forming a picket line on St Georges Road. The dispute over low pay comes amidst the cost of living crisis.
Students had been warned of changes to lessons ahead of the weekend. Whilst some students continued with online learning, other lessons remained open today although have subsequently been cancelled until Thursday.
The University College Union say that around 4,000 staff at 29 colleges across the country will be taking up to 10 days of strike action.
The union says: ‘A decade of below-inflation rises has seen our real-terms pay shrink and the gap with school teacher salaries grow.
‘Now the cost of living crisis and spiraling energy bills have made it even more urgent that we secure a fair deal. Huge increases in the cost of fuel, food, transport and national insurance are eroding the value of our wages.
‘Unsustainable workloads take a heavy toll on health. There are around 24,000 less lecturers in FE than in 2009. Our recent survey showed that staff are working a record number of hours amounting to two unpaid days a week.’
The union is calling for action to restore pay levels with a ten per cent increase on all pay points with a minimum uplift of £2000. They also ask for all colleges to become accredited Foundation Living wage employers.
As well as the pay issues, the union also wants action to tackle ‘spiraling workload’ in colleges. They say a new framework to tackle class sizes, guided learning hours, admin support and working from home is necessary.
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