Four colleges take strike action over pay

Four colleges are facing disruption as staff walk out in a dispute over pay.

Staff from the Windsor Forest Colleges Group (WFCG) - which includes Strode's College, Windsor College, Langley College, and the Berkshire College of Agriculture - have taken part in a two-day strike after rejecting apay offer of 1.7%.

Monish Bhandari, branch secretary for University College Union (UCU) said: "The offer wasn't fair and falls well below inflation."

The UCU's general secretary, Jo Grady said: 'Our members are struggling to make ends meet."

Bhandari explained action started at the beginning of the year after management made a pay offer of just 1.7%, when staff initially asked for 10%.

The union said the offer is less than half than the four percent recommended by the Association of Colleges.

Bhandari said: "We have had no improvement on the management's initial offer of 1.7% which is insulting and frustrating."

He said: "Everything around us, is increasing council tax by five percent - fuel prices, heating bills and food shopping.

"Our staff work hard and shouldn't have to be on universal credit which some of them are.

"We are teaching young people further education yet behind the scenes we are having to make the choice of putting the heating on or for feeding our own children."

"It's not right," he added "especially as the CEO of the group college is earning more than our Prime Minister."

Open records show that the group principal and chief executive officer at WFCG has a salary of up to £174,000.

Bhandari said: " A lack of increase in our salary and understanding from the management has a huge impact.

"We are losing good talented staff, struggling to retrain colleagues and finding it impossible to recruit because we can't offer a competitive package."

"Many of my colleagues are leaving the profession because teaching doesn't pay," he added.

Grady said: "It's simply not good enough and we will be forced to escalate the dispute and strike later this month, unless management comes back to the table with an improved offer that recognises the excellent education and training their staff provide to students across Berkshire and Surrey.'

The BBC has contacted WCFG for comment.