College staff walk out in pay freeze protest

Oldham College staff on the picket line

OLDHAM College staff staged a one-day strike yesterday over pay.

Members of the University and College Union (UCU) and Unison picketed in sub-zero temperatures before taking part in a rally in Manchester. Thousands of staff in further education colleges in England, including lecturers, librarians and cleaners, walked out in the national dispute.

The national employers’ body, the Association of Colleges, recommended a pay freeze that unions claim amounted to a real-terms pay cut of up to 17 per cent after years of low or no rises.

Both the UCU and Unison, which have around 85 and 60 members respectively at Oldham College, said the strike had been well supported by members.

Lecturer and UCU member Steve Smethurst said: “We have not had a pay rise for donkey’s years. It’s a meagre £1 extra an hour we are asking for.”

Peter Dabrowski, the Oldham College’s Unison rep, said: “Unfortunately we’ve got no option but to strike. People are struggling to make ends meet — I am struggling to pay my bills.

“They are passionate about their jobs, they love their jobs; they just feel they are not being paid a fair wage.”