Teachers at the Sixth Form Bolton have started their three day walkout.
The Met Office issued a yellow warning for snow and ice from 5pm Monday to 10am this morning meaning there was no picket line outside the college.
Sixth form teachers at the college are striking to demand the same pay rise offered to other teachers.
The Government announced a fully funded 5.5 per cent pay rise for teachers in England but only for academised sixth form colleges and sixth forms attached to schools.
Standalone sixth form colleges which aren’t academies, like The Sixth Form Bolton, are excluded from the pay rise.
The National Education Union (NEU) called a strike for three days in a row this January as the Government has not responded to their demands.
Jennifer Firth, NEU rep for The Sixth Form Bolton, said: “NEU members in sixth form colleges are taking strike action to protest the government’s failure to award them the same 5.5 per cent pay uplift that has been granted to teachers in secondary schools.
“This decision not only undervalues the work of sixth form teachers but also risks creating a two-tiered education system in which sixth form staff are left behind.
“Since 2010, sixth form teachers have experienced a significant real-terms pay cut due to years of below-inflation pay rises and chronic underinvestment in post-16 education.
“The value of teacher and school leader pay has been cut by over a fifth against RPI inflation since 2010, even after taking account of the above-inflation September 2024 increase.
“The refusal to provide parity with school teachers further exacerbates this issue, making it harder to recruit and retain skilled staff in the sector.
Members of the National Education Union hold a rally outside the Department for Education in London in November (Image: Ben Whitley/PA) “This lack of investment directly impacts the quality of education and the futures of the students we serve.
“Our members take immense pride in the work they do, but they cannot continue to accept pay settlements that fail to reflect the value of their contribution.
“The NEU believes that all educators deserve fair pay and recognition, regardless of the age group they teach.
“This strike is about fairness, respect, and the long-term health of the sixth form sector.
“We urge the government to listen to staff and consider the long term impact on students and to take the necessary steps to prevent further erosion of post-16 education.”
Robert Poole, Assistant District Secretary for Bolton NEU said that it was “disappointing” to be opening the new year with the dispute unresolved.
Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, said: “The teaching profession was awarded a 5.5 per cent award last year and the Government made an error in excluding non-academised sixth form colleges.
“It creates precisely the two-tier pay system that NEU college teachers are taking protracted strike action to prevent.
“It could easily be fixed, and making up the difference would be very small beer – around £1.5 million in Government spending.
“This isn’t just about fairness.
“Colleges are suffering from a recruitment and retention crisis.
“To attract, recruit and retain teachers, it is absolutely vital to deliver pay parity.
“We will never accept the injustice of a situation in which college teachers are paid different amounts for the same work.”
Bill Watkin, chief executive of theS ixth Form Colleges Association, said: “We are disappointed that the NEU is proceeding with three further days of strike action this month, but we are committed to working with union leaders to avoid any further disruption to young people’s education and to ensure that sixth form college staff get a fair deal from the Government on this issue.”
A Department for Education (DfE) spokesperson said: “Ensuring people have the skills they need for the future is crucial to this Government’s number one mission to grow the economy.
“We recognise the vital role that further education, including sixth form colleges, plays in this.
“Sixth form colleges are responsible for the setting of appropriate pay for their workforce and for managing their own industrial relations.
“The October Budget provided an additional £300 million revenue funding for further education to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs.
“The department will set out in due course how this funding will be distributed.”
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Sixth form teachers have already been on strike on November 28, December 3, December 4 and December 13.
Around 80,000 students have been impacted by the industrial action.
In September, the NEU opened a ballot for strike action among its 2,000 members across 40 sixth form colleges in England.
With a turnout of 62 per cent, 97 per cent voted in favour of strike action.
According to the NEU, sixth-form college teachers’ pay has dropped by 29.5 per cent in real terms since 2010 and college funding has fallen by 20 per cent.