STRIKE action by teaching staff at Solihull College was called-off at the eleventh hour after their employers blocked the action.
The Association of Colleges supported a High Court legal case seeking an injuction against the strike action, making the USU’s planned picket line illegal and vulnerable to penalities.
The strike was due to take place on Tuesday, October 14, alongside further education colleges and public sector unions across the country, and would have marked the latest chapter in the disputes which have been ongoing since June last year, regarding pay between the UCU lecturer’s union and their employers at Solihull College.
A spokesperson for the picketers said: “The union defended members’ right to take strike action vigorously in court but we will of course abide by the decision.
“In the last five years pay in further education has fallen behind inflation by 16 per cent – a real terms cut of over £5,500 per year for most lecturers, and pay continues to be lower than for school teachers.
“Nationally, cuts to funding have had an enormous impact on what teaching staff have to do, and bigger class sizes and fewer hours per course mean that students are not getting the same experience as they would ten years ago.
“Now, more than ever, further education colleges are needed, to offer crucial opportunities to young people and adults.
“Austerity is threatening these opportunities.”
