News Flash - 2009 Pay Offer!!

Delegates at the Special FE Sector Conference held on 19 September voted to reject the Association of Colleges’ pay offer of 1.5% for staff in colleges in England. Speakers supporting the Further Education Committee’s motion rejecting the pay offer described it as derisory and as a step backwards in the fight for pay parity with school teachers who have been awarded 2.3%.

The Special Sector Conference was called to determine the union’s position on the employers’ pay offer of 1.5% and to consider strategies to fight job threats in the sector.

After the decision to reject the employers’ 1.5% offer, Conference moved on to motions which dealt with strategies to achieve an improved offer from the employers. After a spirited debate, Conference agreed to hold a ballot of all FE members in England for a programme of escalating industrial action starting with one day and moving to two and three days action in subsequent weeks. It was also agreed that action should be coordinated, where possible, with the Higher Education campaign on pay and jobs.

Preparations for the ballot are to start immediately with branches being asked to complete membership checks by 16 October.