Teachers at a sixth form college in Bury began strike action today, Thursday, after an ongoing pay dispute.
Staff at Holy Cross College on Manchester Road formed a picket line from 7.30am to voice their frustration, with members of the public showing displays of solidarity.
It follows an overwhelming vote where 97 percent of National Education Union (NEU) members who teach in 32 sixth form colleges voted in favour of industrial action.
Biology teacher Emma Moriarty, who has been teaching at the college for more than 16 years, said: “It feels like I don’t have a choice but to strike given the unfair situation. Teachers at other places are getting the pay rise so why aren’t we?”
@theburytimes Teachers at Holy Cross Sixth Form College on Manchester Road Bury have begun strike action today following a pay dispute. Full story on the Bury Times website 🗞️ #teachersstrike #holycrosscollege #Bury #teachersoftiktok #greatermanchester #strikes ♬ Morning Energy - Tobu
Maths teacher Helen Battersby added: “It’s a rewarding job but is lacking actual rewards. It feels like a small part of our sector is now being unfairly pushed into becoming academies.”
Michelle Greaves, senior regional officer at the National Education Union (NEU) was also at the Bury strike this morning.
She said: “It’s a basic injustice. Most other places will benefit from the additional 5.5 per cent funding and we need to be careful that this doesn’t become an erosion of pay.”
Two more days of strike action are planned for Tuesday, December 3 and Wednesday, December 4.
The decision comes after the government announced in July that teachers and leaders in England will receive a fully-funded 5.5 per cent pay rise this year.
Many schools in England had already budgeted for pay increases of about three per cent from September and the government announced that it would provide an extra £1.2bn to top that up to the 5.5 per cent offer.
The funding included primary, secondary and teachers who teach in school sixth form academies but excluded non-academised sixth forms such as Holy Cross.
Physics teacher Jenny Couldridge, who has been at Holy Cross for a decade, said: “It makes us feel less valued than other teachers. Most people don’t understand that we are not all getting paid the same and it’s unfair.”
Art and graphics teacher Andy Davies mirrored the same sentiment.
He added: “This is having a big impact and feels like an afterthought from the Government, especially as they’re now doubling down on it.”
Another teacher, who is also a former pupil at the college, said: “I love my job and it’s very rewarding. I don’t necessarily do it for the pay but this is unfair.
“This decision is very frustrating and is leaving us wondering why we should stay here if we can get paid more somewhere else. It’s sad as it’s a very successful college with good outcomes.
“It may start impacting retention and recruitment which is not fair on our students either. They [the college] need to think about future-proofing.”
On behalf of Holy Cross, Graham Baird, director of HR services at the Sixth Form Colleges Association, said: “We agree with the NEU that the government’s decision to exclude sixth form colleges from the funding to increase staff pay is baffling.
“We also agree that this decision undermines our highly effective system of collective pay bargaining.
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“However, we cannot condone strike action being taken in sixth form colleges and we will continue to urge the government to avoid this action by providing the additional funding required to match the pay award made to staff in schools."
In response, a spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “Ensuring people have the skills they need for the future is crucial to this government’s number one mission to grow the economy.
“We recognise the vital role that further education, including sixth form colleges, play in this.
“Sixth form colleges are responsible for the setting of appropriate pay for their workforce and for managing their own industrial relations.
“The October Budget provided an additional £300m revenue funding for further education to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs.
“The department will set out in due course how this funding will be distributed.”
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