Unions representing further education lecturers in Northern Ireland are gearing up for possible strike action as dissatisfaction grows over unfulfilled pay promises. The University and College Union (UCU) and the NASUWT union are both conducting ballots to gauge member support for industrial action. The UCU ballot will conclude on March 31, while the NASUWT ballot is set to end on April 15. The unions allege that college employers have reneged on a pay deal that had previously averted strikes and promised pay parity for lecturers with teachers.
The UCU has expressed strong discontent, claiming that its members have been "sold a pup" regarding the pay agreement, which was supposed to bring full parity with schoolteachers. Katharine Clarke, the UCU's Northern Ireland official, highlighted that despite ten months passing since the agreement, employers have not fulfilled the parity commitment or addressed non-pay elements of the deal.
"Ten months on and the employers have failed to progress the parity commitment and all of the non-pay elements of the deal," she remarked.
The NASUWT national official for Northern Ireland, Justin McCamphill, echoed these sentiments. He stated that colleges had not delivered on promises made during last year's negotiations, leading to mounting frustration among their members.
"Our members are extremely frustrated that the college employers have not delivered on their promises of last year," McCamphill said.
He emphasized that their members were assured an independent review of pay, terms, conditions, and workload, but these actions have not materialized.
"Our members were promised an independent examination of the pay, all terms and conditions and workload of academic staff. This hasn't happened and our members are not prepared to wait any longer."
As lecturers in further education (FE) colleges often receive lower pay compared to schoolteachers, the unions are adamant about achieving equitable compensation. There are six FE colleges across Northern Ireland serving over 63,000 students. The Department for the Economy (DfE), which oversees these institutions, stated that it is not directly involved in negotiations between colleges and trade unions.
"Further education colleges are employers in their own right and as such, the department is not directly involved in negotiations with trade unions," noted a spokesperson for the DfE.
The College Employers' Forum (CEF), representing college leaders, acknowledged the challenging financial context within which they operate. They expressed a commitment to ongoing dialogue with union representatives.
"The pay proposal is in the context of a very difficult funding landscape for further education," commented a CEF spokesperson.
"We have written to union representatives to request a meeting as soon as possible."
In contrast, schoolteachers recently rejected a 5.5% pay offer for 2024/25, citing unmanageable workloads as a significant concern. Both UCU and NASUWT are urging their members to vote on industrial action to pressurize college employers into honoring the commitments made in last year's agreement.
