Update on FE Pay Negotiations England 2024-25
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Dear Members,
The joint unions met with the Association of Colleges (AoC) on Monday 20 May to begin pay negotiations for 2024/25. Discussions focussed on the headline pay claim of 10% or £3000, whichever is greater, and progress towards achieving binding national agreements.
In response to the joint union claim the employers indicated that since in 2023/24 the government was able to find additional funding to ensure that in particular the pay gap between school and college teachers did not get even wider, they wanted to give the government the chance to do so again this year. AoC informed the joint unions that it will not be making a pay offer until the STRB report has been published.
The joint unions expressed frustration and disappointment that AoC was unable to make a pay offer at the NJF meeting and made it clear that the next meeting of the National Joint Forum on Monday 10th June had to make progress on the key issue of achieving binding national agreements.
Kevin Brandstatter, National Officer for Further Education said "With the General Election and the dissolution of Parliament any plans of the AoC in England to ask the Government for additional funding for the sector to prevent the gap between School staff and FE staff getting any wider will have to await the outcome of the General Election and the appointment of new ministers. GMB will demand that the sector for post-school education is finally recognised as an important provider of educational and life skills to fill some of the critical shortages in the 2024 labour market."