Fair pay for all: Defend the right to strike

Fair pay for all: Defend the right to strike

The need for a properly funded Further and Adult Education sector that pays its staff a decent living wage has never been so urgent. Staff working in the sector have suffered a £5,500 cut in real terms in the last 5 years. In contrast, Principals’ pay has increased three-fold compared to what their staff have received. They have awarded themselves a salary that is five times that of a main grade lecturer.

Alongside this the leadership of the sector has spectacularly failed to stop cut after cut in the sector at a time when there are 1 million 16-24 year olds without work , education or training and 15% of 16-65 are without any qualifications whatsoever. They tell us not to 'externalise' the problems that we face in the colleges by blaming government policy and cuts. Instead they tell us to work harder, accept cuts in our pay and an erosion of our work/life balance.

It is for this reason that we are outraged that the Principal of Westminster Kingsway College, supported by the AoC, sought a court injunction on UCU stopping lecturers' exercising their democratic right to strike for a fair wage to secure decent lives for their families.

We the undersigned support the right to strike and condemn the The Principal of Westminster Kingsway College resorting to the courts rather than joining his staff campaigning for more funding for the sector.

We support the call to re-ballot the membership over 1% pay offer and call upon the leadership of the sector to stop attacking its key resource and stand by the staff campaigning for more funding for the sector- for staff and students.

Petition launched by UCU Westminster Kingsway Branch.