Energetic picket line marks first day of Black Country college strikes

More than 50 members of staff from Halesowen College joined the picket line on Monday for the first of 10 days of strike action by the University and College Union (UCU) over four weeks in September and October.

They joined around 4,000 staff at 29 colleges across the country in the strike action, which has come about due to a dispute over low pay amid the cost-of-living crisis, following a pay recommendation by the Association of Colleges in June of 2.5 per cent.

UCU said it was demanding that employers make a pay offer that reflects the soaring costs college staff currently face, with pay having fallen behind inflation by 35 per cent since 2009 and seven in 10 staff saying they would leave the sector unless pay and working conditions improved.

UCU West Midlands support official Teresa Corr was present in Halesowen and said the energy from those on the picket line was very clear for everyone to see and spoke about why they were there.

She said: "The strike is to try and secure fair pay for lecturers, and Halesowen College in particular in this case, and is the biggest strike the union has run since 2017, all with the same purpose of securing decent levels of pay.

"It's just got to the point where pay is the critical issue and teachers are leaving the profession, while others are having to get second jobs to help make ends meet, such as one person I spoke to who works at a bar two days a week to ensure he can pay his rent.

"You would hope that teachers would be able to secure pay that means that they can just concentrate on the one job of teaching, but we've just got to a critical stage now as there's been no pay increase relative to inflation for over a decade."

The picket line was seen outside the college gates from 7.30am to 9.30am and will continue over Tuesday and Wednesday, then on Thursday, October 6, Friday, October 7, Monday, October 10, Tuesday, October 11, Tuesday, October 18, Wednesday, October 19 and Thursday, October 20.

Ms Corr said a lot of protesters had been spurred on to get involved after seeing the mini-budget, describing it as a "budget for the rich" and spoke of what the ultimate aim was.

She said: "On the picket line, a lot of people were very animated about the budget, saying that it made them realise that they've got to go out and get their respect back and make their voices heard.

"What we're hoping for is to get the principal and senior management around the bargaining table, although people are upset that a local claim was submitted by Halesowen UCU in April, but management haven't got around the table with us yet to try and negotiate.

"We're ordinary people and we want to be part of the governing of this, so this picket line is something that is really important to us."