Staff at Chesterfield College will begin three days of strike action next week over pay
Staff at Chesterfield College will begin three days of strike action next week – with union leaders blaming a refusal by bosses to consider a “fair” pay offer.
College staff will strike on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday next week – manning picket lines in Infirmary and Sheffield Road from 7am until 10am. University and College Union (UCU) general secretary Jo Grady said industrial action was the “last resort” and staff at Chesterfield College had been left with “no choice”.
However she added: “There is still time for management to make a fair offer that helps close the pay gap between school and college teachers.” Responding to the announcement, the college says last month it offered “one of the most favourable pay awards across the college sector”, adding that “the majority” of staff would be in work during the strike action.
Striking staff from Chesterfield and across England will rally at the Emmanuel Centre in Westminster from 12pm on January 16. UCU, alongside sister unions NEU, GMB, UNISON and Unite, is calling for pay parity with schoolteachers, national workload agreements and a “binding national bargaining framework”.
UCU general secretary Jo Grady added: “Our demands are reasonable and management needs to look at those that worked to settle their disputes. Employers must now agree to meaningful sectoral bargaining so further education can avoid the cycle of strike ballots and disruption that we have seen over the past few years.”
Julie Richards, principal and CEO of Chesterfield College Group, said that in December the college offered one of the most favourable pay awards across the college sector – above the 4 per cent recommended by the Association of Colleges.
She said: “Our teachers this year will receive a total of a 6 per cent pay award which includes a 2 per cent bonus, all of which has been back dated to August 1, 2025. All staff received the pay award in December.
“We understand the need for government to recognise the incredible work of the further education sector and reward its staff in line with schools. Therefore we will continue to work hard to prioritise pay, terms and conditions for all staff at the college alongside the essential investment in our facilities and resources to support our students and apprentices to thrive.
"We are expecting the majority of staff to be in work during the strike action which has enabled us to put robust plans in place to ensure our students and apprentices are not disadvantaged during this time. Our board and senior management team continue to be proactive with government departments in our endeavour to influence national policy on pay for the sector.”