An industrial action ballot of members of NASUWT – The
Teachers' Union working in sixth form colleges opens
today.
The ballot is over the failure to offer teachers working in sixth
form colleges a fair and equitable pay offer for 2024/25. The
ballot will run until Monday 10th February.
The Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) has offered a 5.5% pay
award to teachers working in sixth form college academies, but
only on the condition that teachers working in non-academised
sixth form colleges accept a pay offer of 3.5% from September
2024 to April 2025. These teachers would only receive 5.5% from
April 2025 – seven months later than their colleagues.
Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary,
said:
“After more than a decade of real terms pay cuts, sixth form
college teachers have started this academic year without a pay
award comparable to their colleagues working in schools.
“Despite additional funding for 16-19 academies, employers have
spent months advancing spurious arguments to justify not passing
on an acceptable pay award to their teachers.
“The employers' organisation, the Sixth Form College Association,
cannot justify advancing a divisive proposal of paying teachers
in non-academy colleges less than their colleagues teaching in
16-19 academies for doing exactly the same job.
“We will not accept such unfairness and inequity and nor will we
accept a situation in which any teachers are denied the pay award
they are entitled to.
“Industrial action can be avoided in any college that commits to
implementing a 5.5% award backdated to September 2024.
“We also want to see a national commitment from employers that
all sixth form teachers will receive the same 5.5% pay award,
regardless of where they work.
“The employers have no excuse and no justification for putting
their interests ahead of recognising and rewarding hard working
and dedicated sixth form college teachers.”
