A Special Further Education Committee (FEC) was held last Friday to discuss the results of the recent ballot and to plan the next steps in the campaign. It was a frustrating meeting which failed to build on the excellent ballot results. It exposed a deep pessimism among some members of the FEC and a failure to listen to the membership.
At the May FESC there was a detailed debate on the need for escalation – specifically, nationally coordinated strike action to unite FE branches to win on pay, workload and crucially take a step closer to national binding bargaining. The consensus at that conference was clear: we needed to act in the new academic year. Some of us warned then that there would be attempts to prolong the campaign and narrow the campaign to local actions against colleges to eke out pay deals. This is exactly what happened.
Despite several delays in the ballot timetable, when the ballot finally went ahead members in 32 branches beat the anti-trade union threshold. Several others came very close. If the ballot had been aggregated – the overall result would have been a 90% YES vote, on a 50.6% turnout. This is unprecedented in recent FE history, demonstrating the strength of feeling among members.
Congratulations to all reps and members for getting the vote out. This demonstrates a growing level of organisation within FE branches and shows that members are increasingly won to the need for national binding bargaining and improved deals on pay and workload.
However, the turnout could — and should — have been even stronger. When you compare the General Secretary’s promotion of the Higher Education ballot to the effort made to drive turnout in FE, the disparity is striking.
The case for escalation
UCU Left members put a motion calling for escalating strike action – beginning in December and building through January and February. This approach would have capitalised on the momentum of the ballot and the successful lobby of Parliament, organised by UCU Left FEC members, branch reps and members. Over 300 staff and students took part in the lobby – the largest in year years. It was a powerful event with several MPs in attendance, hearing directly from students and staff on the necessity of Adult Education and the devastating impact of cuts on individuals and communities.
The motion also called for branches that narrowly missed the threshold, to be offered a reballot so we could build further unity.
It also called for a Branch Delegates Meeting after the first 5 days of strike action, allowing those in dispute to collectively decide the next steps. We held an online Strike Committee in the 2023 dispute; this was an effective way for those branches in dispute to maintain control of the action.
However, this motion was narrowly lost by a vote of 10 against and 9 for.
What is particularly galling is that all 10 FEC members who voted against it, came from branches that are not taking action – they either pulled out of the ballot before it started, pulled out during the ballot or did not meet the threshold.
Those FEC members who are in branches which will be taking industrial action – all voted for the UCU Left motion of escalating action.
Arguments against escalation, and why they don’t stand up
Those who voted against the motion, claimed:
1. How do we know that members want to act now? Members just voted for action by 90%. We are not sure what more evidence some of our FEC members need.
2. Going out in December is too rushed an approach, we need time to build the campaign. Again, we disagree, as already stated branches put motions to the May FESC calling for nationally coordinated action in the Autumn term.
3. December is a bad time to strike as Christmas is approaching and people are tired. Whilst it’s true that staff are exhausted, that’s precisely why action is needed to push back against unbearable workloads. Pay deductions would fall in January, not before Christmas. The “bad timing” argument is used repeatedly by the right. At previous FEC’s the summer term wasn’t a good time to ballot, we should ballot during enrolment. Then at the next meeting they argued, enrolment was a bad time it needed to be later. Seemingly for some there is never a “good time” to ballot, it’s always later. The truth is very few of those on the exec have ever taken strike and have always argued against it.
4. The Adult Education lobby was very London centric. This was an attempt to undermine the argument that we could build on the momentum of the lobby. Again, we strongly disagree – Parliament is in London hence why the lobby was there. Reps and members are looking at building further actions in their localities. One of the London FE representatives took a motion to London Region to get the lobby organised, as it hadn’t been organised by Head Office. However, the organising meetings and those who attended the lobby came Bristol, Birmingham and London – it was not London-centric. And the lobby of over 400 staff and students was not made up of white Londoners! Students and staff travelled from across England and represented communities from Somalia, Ethiopia, Caribbean, Sudan, Columbia, Venezuela, Ukraine, Portugal, Italy, Afghanistan and Iran to name but a few. FEC should applaud this event and support further actions to defend Adult Ed.
5. National binding bargaining isn’t a real possibility. This objection is not simply a pessimism about our ability to win a national binding agreement; it is that but also more fundamental. The right does not believe that achieving a national binding agreement is desirable. They believe that after over 25 years of incorporation it is too late for the sector to turn the clock back. The only way to achieve better deals for our members is on a regional and college/group basis. It is this acceptance of the status quo that leads those on the FEC to oppose taking action on a national basis and put in very little effort in getting across the thresholds.
So, what will be the next steps?
1. Three days of strike action will take place in the second week of January. It’s vital that as many of the 32 branches as possible remain in dispute. Employers will try to bully branches into accepting local offers — each branch that drops out weakens our collective strength.
2. UCU Head Office will organise a London rally for striking branches on Friday 16th January and will write to MPs with striking colleges in their constituency to support the strike on the picket lines and in Parliament.
3. Instead of a delegate meeting, members in striking branches will be surveyed after the first three strike days to gauge next steps. It is disappointing that they were will only be an individualised survey, rather than an in person or online delegate meeting so we can collectively discuss.
The Fight Ahead
This is not the hard-hitting campaign we had hoped for nevertheless we need to ensure that it is still as big and as successful as it can be.
A 4% pay offer is fails to address the 18% real terms cut in pay over the past decade. Employers will bully branches to accept, claiming 4% is the best they can offer. But this is not true. Many colleges have buoyant student numbers, and more cash has flowed into FE and will continue to do so next year due to increased 16-19 funding. Many colleges can afford more.
We must demand serious action on workload, which remains unbearable workloads with half of new FE teachers leaving in the first 3 years.
We must demand that our employers make clear statements supporting a new binding framework. National binding bargaining is necessary to level up the sector and fight for all members pay and conditions, not just those who can surpass the 50% threshold in their branches. This can be worn with a clear staged approach.
Despite being one of the hardest hit sectors under austerity, due to mounting resistance over the last 15 years we have made FE pay and the question of binding central to debates between employers and the unions at national talks. We must keep up the pressure and ensure action in all branches is strong. Those not taking action should arrange solidarity such as visiting pickets and doing collections. We have to let every employer know they are on notice.
On the picket lines and throughout the next steps, the demand to restore Adult Education must be amplified.
We will not give up on our demands. Despite the Chancellors and government rhetoric, they have not broken with austerity – the cost-of-living crisis continues whilst they lurch to a war economy and fuel racism. We will continue to demand national action from our union and encourage the wider trade union movement to rise to the challenges of our times.
Unity is strength, we can win more when we fight together than when we fight alone.
See you on the picket lines.