Overview
- Strikes are scheduled for Wednesday to Friday, 14–16 January, with picket lines announced at colleges including City of Bristol College, City College Norwich, Bournemouth & Poole College and Chesterfield College.
- UCU says the dispute centers on pay and workload, with demands that include a 10% rise, pay parity with schoolteachers, national workload rules and a binding national bargaining framework.
- The Association of Colleges recommended a 4% uplift that institutions are not obliged to implement, and some colleges cite local offers that go further, with Chesterfield College reporting a 6% package including a 2% bonus backdated to 1 August 2025.
- The union highlights an average £9,000 gap between college and school teacher pay, arguing industrial action is a last resort to close the difference.
- Colleges say they are engaging with unions and have contingency plans to limit disruption, as staff and supporters plan a national rally at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster at noon on Friday.