Sixth form teachers in Cambridge to strike again over pay row
It'll be the third month in a row that strikes have taken place
Sixth form college teachers - including at Hills Road Sixth Form in Cambridge - are back on strike today in a dispute over pay.
National Education Union (NEU) members carried out strikes last month in a row over a 5.5% pay rise for staff at some colleges, but not others.
The NEU said since December, the Sixth Form Colleges Association offered teachers at non-academised sixth form colleges the same increase from April, but a 3.5% rise for September to April.
Due to this, the union has warned these teachers will lag behind their peers in academised colleges by 2% for seven months, creating a "two-tier" pay system.
Paul McLaughlin is the NEU's regional secretary for the Eastern region:
"Sadly the government didn't ensure the sixth form colleges, the small number of sixth form colleges they had that funding available to them, so it's with regret we find our members having to take action to try and ensure those funds are paid," he said.
"Members have to decide whether they're going to take a stand and try to affect change, or whether they'll accept a poor outcome and poor results for the students.
"While striking is never the first option, sometimes it's the inevitable option."
NEU teacher members at 32 non-academised sixth form colleges - including in Cambridge, Luton and Henley - will walk out for three consecutive days from today in a fight for a fully funded above-inflation pay increase.
It comes after NEU members staged four days of strike action in November and December.
The Government announced in July that teachers and leaders in England will receive a fully funded 5.5% pay rise this academic year.
'Hundreds' expected to strike in our region
Around 2,000 teacher members are expected to take part in the strike action at the start of term, while in the East, Mr McLaughlin expects to see "hundreds" turn out.
"They (members) work excessive hours and are highly dedicated to the students they teach, and so it's only right they should be included in a general funding reward which the industry has accepted," he added.
"We hoped that these matters could be resolved without the potential and obvious impact on students, but ultimately they need to ensure that funding is available to pay a fair settlement to the members involved," he added.
Dispute 'not just about fairness'
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said the dispute "could easily be fixed" and that other issues within education are at stake.
"Making up the difference would be very small beer, around £1.5 million in Government spending," he said.
"The teaching profession was awarded a 5.5% award last year and the Government made an error in excluding non-academised sixth form colleges.
"It creates precisely the two-tier pay system that NEU college teachers are taking protracted strike action to prevent."
Mr Kebede added that the dispute "isn't just about fairness" and that colleges are "suffering from a recruitment and retention crisis.
"To attract, recruit and retain teachers, it is absolutely vital to deliver pay parity.
"We will never accept the injustice of a situation in which college teachers are paid different amounts for the same work."
A government spokesperson said: "We have increased funding for education significantly, and pay decisions for staff are the responsibility of individual sixth form colleges.
"The government remains committed to ensuring high standards across all sectors of education."