LECTURERS at 13 further education colleges are to strike after rejecting a below-inflation 1 per cent pay offer, their union said today.

University and College Union (UCU) members employed by members of the Association of Colleges say that their pay now lags behind that of schoolteachers by £9,000 a year and has fallen by 30 per cent in real terms over the last decade.

The 1 per cent proposal has also been condemned by Unite, Unison, GMB and the National Education Union.

The lecturers will begin up to 10 days of strike action on Tuesday September 28.

The UCU warned that further walkouts could follow if the pay proposal was not increased.

A ballot of the workers, who seek a pay rise of more than 5 per cent, saw 89 per cent vote in favour of strike action.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “College staff are angry at having had their pay held down whilst workloads increase.

“They have now had their pay cut by over 30 per cent in real terms over the past decade and this derisory 1 per cent pay offer is another real-terms cut.

“It is completely unacceptable and is especially insulting after staff have worked so hard throughout the Covid pandemic.

“College leaders urgently need to come to the negotiating table if they want to avoid facing sustained strike action and severe disruption over the next few months.”

Nine of the colleges are in London, with others in Bristol, Liverpool, Swindon and Weymouth.

The Association of Colleges was invited to comment.