An industrial action ballot of members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union working in sixth form colleges opens today.

The ballot is over the failure to offer teachers working in sixth form colleges a fair and equitable pay offer for 2024/25. The ballot will run until Monday 10th February.

The Sixth Form Colleges Association (SFCA) has offered a 5.5% pay award to teachers working in sixth form college academies, but only on the condition that teachers working in non-academised sixth form colleges accept a pay offer of 3.5% from September 2024 to April 2025. These teachers would only receive 5.5% from April 2025 – seven months later than their colleagues.

Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said:

“After more than a decade of real terms pay cuts, sixth form college teachers have started this academic year without a pay award comparable to their colleagues working in schools.

“Despite additional funding for 16-19 academies, employers have spent months advancing spurious arguments to justify not passing on an acceptable pay award to their teachers.

“The employers’ organisation, the Sixth Form College Association, cannot justify advancing a divisive proposal of paying teachers in non-academy colleges less than their colleagues teaching in 16-19 academies for doing exactly the same job.

“We will not accept such unfairness and inequity and nor will we accept a situation in which any teachers are denied the pay award they are entitled to.

“Industrial action can be avoided in any college that commits to implementing a 5.5% award backdated to September 2024.

“We also want to see a national commitment from employers that all sixth form teachers will receive the same 5.5% pay award, regardless of where they work.

“The employers have no excuse and no justification for putting their interests ahead of recognising and rewarding hard working and dedicated sixth form college teachers.”