At the Further Education Committee last week (26th September), there was a clear agreement that UCU must use its collective strength to campaign for FE, Adult Education and Prisons. At the end of this message are the text of all 3 motions that were all overwhelmingly carried.
At the recent National Joint Forum, the Association of College only recommended a 4% pay rise. This doesn’t go anywhere near correcting the years of below inflation pay rises and fails to close the gap with school teachers pay. The employers also agreed to talks on national binding pay agreements. We need to keep the pressure up on the employers to ensure these talks happen, otherwise we will continue to have huge levels of inequality in FE pay.
The cuts to Adult Education must be firmly opposed by our sector. They undermine the excellent and necessary education that these courses provide. The cuts have led to a reduction in courses and thus limiting the opportunities for adults to retrain, upskill and find community social connections. Moreover, the colleges that provide a high percentage of Adult Education courses will argue that they are unable to implement a pay award. This will lead to greater division within our sector.
Therefore, we must ensure all of our members are engaged in the current campaign for better pay, national binding bargaining and workload agreements.
Key dates
- Thursday 9 October (18:30-20:00): Final UCU Branch Briefing contact David Bussell at UCU to attend)
- Monday 13 October 2025: ballot opens with a UCU Live event on YouTube
- Monday 20 October 2025: replacement ballot request form opens
- Tuesday 11 November 2025: last day for new members to join UCU and still be automatically included in the industrial action ballot
- Wednesday 12 November 2025: replacement ballot request form closes
- Thursday 13 November 2025: last ‘safe’ date to post the ballot
- Monday 17 November 2025: ballot closes at 5pm
Actions – Build your GTVO campaign
Please get in touch if you need support with this.
1. Membership lists: review and update your membership list before voting begins. Your membership secretary should have access to Oracle where they can make necessary changes.
2. Turn your membership list into a GTVO spreadsheet: every member needs to be contacted and then the GTVO spreadsheet needs to regularly be updated to show who has (a) received the ballot (b) voted and posted.
3. Build a GTVO team: ideally one person in each department takes on following up their colleagues. If that’s not possible, try to divide the work up between different reps. Keep communication going between your GTVO team so everyone feels confident about what they are doing.
4. Campaign for a Yes vote: Members pay their union dues because they value their voice. Voting is a democratic right, and participation is vital. We are also encouraging a strong ‘Yes’ response. Make sure the UCU posters are up in staffrooms and staff areas.
5. Communication: We are all busy and so people may miss big group emails. Use personal mail-merge emails, targeted messages and Teams to contact and keep in touch with your members. The best way is the personal touch – go round and talk to people. This is key to success.
Suggested timeline for GTVO campaign
1. Week before the ballot (6th October)
(a) Send an email to all members explaining why we are in dispute with the college. Include local issues where possible, since these can often be addressed through the ballot process.
(b) Branch meetings just before the ballot opens (or the week it opens)
2. Week 1 of ballot (Monday 13th October)
(a) Send a personalised (mail-merged) reminder that ballot envelopes may have arrived or are on the way. Encourage members to vote promptly and let their rep know once they have voted.
(b) Aim for 30 – 35% turnout
3. Week 2 of ballot (20th October)
(a) Send a follow-up email (building on the first email sent on 6 October) reminding members of the 50% turnout threshold, urging them to vote ‘Yes’, and to inform their rep once they’ve voted.
(b) Have a check in with your GTVO team – what’s working? Who needs help?
(c) Aim for 45–55% turnout (half term starts for some colleges)
(d) End of the week: Send another personalised mail-merge reminder before the half-term break, encouraging members to vote without delay (recycle the email you sent on 14 October).
4. Week 3 and 4 of ballot
(a) Send personal messages once a week – aim to do at least one walk round.
5. Final week of ballot 10th November
(a) Share out who hasn’t voted yet between the GTVO team
(b) Send personal emails, Teams messages, and do walk rounds.
(c) Send branch wide email that the last safe day to post the ballot is Thursday 13thNovember.
Motion’s carried at FEC:
1. Fully fund FE, pay for all – binding agreements now
FEC Notes
- The AoC recommendation:
i) Pay 4%, some will not pay, some can pay more
ii) talks on the introduction of standardised increments, pay scales and a new national pay agreement in FE that has binding outcomes
iii) joint campaign on the lack of funding for the pay award and adult education funding
- c70 colleges are in scope for ballots, our claim for 10%
FEC believes:
1. The campaign should be framed on adult education, a binding offer for all now and new framework
2. Colleges can pay a higher %
3. Strike action is necessary to secure pay and binding
FEC resolves:
1. Circulate a new briefing to members locating our demands for adult funding, pay and binding now
2. Call on branches to campaign for adult education alongside their GTVO
3. Plan a Parliamentary lobby prior to the budget
2. FE’s central role in anti-racism and social cohesion
FEC notes:
· This month saw the largest far-right organised protest in UK history.
· Far right activists have targeted young people – using social media.
· This is a threat to many of our FE and ACE staff and students.
FEC believes:
· The growth of the far-right is leading to an increasingly divided society.
· To push back and overcome this, we must put an alternative that celebrates multiculturalism and develops social cohesion. FE is key to providing accessible, community education and to tackle the spread of misinformation.
FEC resolves:
· To support initiatives that oppose racist mobilisations in our communities and nationally.
· To support initiatives to build greater social cohesion such as Themed Learning Week’s and community education programmes.
· To ensure that the role FE plays in maintaining social cohesion is a central part of our funding campaign.
3. Prepare now. New Prison Education Contract
FEC notes:
That the cuts linked to the new PES contract and the unprecedented job losses in UCU Prison Education branches
FEC sends solidarity to over 300 Staff facing redundancies and 400 staff affected by TUPE transfers.
FEC believes:
a major branch development exercise needs to take place immediately.
FEC resolves to:
· Undertake a review of all branch membership data and produce a organising and development strategy
· Hold an all-branch training/Strategy meeting to facilitate the above
· Look at ways the Regional Offices can become more involved in this process and outstanding casework.