STAFF at 17 colleges across England began a three-day strike today over pay and working conditions.

The University and College Union (UCU) said that bosses refused to make fair offers to help close the pay gap between school and college teachers.

UCU and its sister unions NEU, GMB, Unison and Unite have been calling for a New Deal for Further Education, including pay parity with schoolteachers, national workload agreements and a binding national bargaining framework. 

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “Industrial action is a last resort, but staff up and down England have been left with no choice. There is still time for colleges to make fair offers that help close the pay gap between school and college teachers. 

“Our demands are reasonable, and management at the 17 colleges where staff are taking action need to look at those that worked 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.”

The affected colleges are: Bournemouth and Poole College of FE, Capital City College, Chesterfield College, City College Norwich, City of Liverpool College, City of Portsmouth College, City of Wolverhampton College, Hugh Baird College, Isle of Wight College, Loughborough College Group, Morley College, SK College Group, South & City College Birmingham, South Bank Colleges, Truro & Penwith College, Windsor Forest Colleges Group and Working Men’s College.

Strikes planned at Lancaster and Morecambe College over the dispute have been called off after staff voted to accept a 4 per cent pay rise and improvements to working conditions, UCU said.