Pay
The NASUWT and other further education (FE) trade unions in Wales submit an annual pay claim to all FE employers in Wales via Colegau Cymru, the employers’ representative.
There is an agreement with the Welsh Government that lecturers’ pay will remain aligned to the pay of school teachers in Wales and the NASUWT also make annual pay claims in relation to school teachers.
As a lecturer, instructor/demonstrator or manager in Wales, you should normally receive annual pay progression along the relevant pay scale for your role.
The pay scales for lecturers and instructors in Wales are set out in the table below.
The NASUWT and the other FE trade unions submitted a joint pay claim to Colegau Cymru in respect of the 2023/24 academic year for a pay increase to either match the rate of inflation or to the value of 6.5%, whichever is higher. A response is awaited.
| Point | August 2018 | August 2019 | August 2020 | August 2021 | August 2022 [*] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Instructor/demonstrator | |||||
| 1 | £20,019.60 | £20,570.14 | £21,135.82 | £21,505.70 | £22,903.57 |
| 2 | £21,225.34 | £21,809.04 | £22,408.78 | £22,800.93 | £24,282.99 |
| 3 | £22,500.92 | £23,119.70 | £23,755.49 | £24,171.21 | £25,742.34 |
| 4 | £23,625.87 | £24,275.58 | £24,943.16 | £25,379.67 | £27,029.35 |
| Main grade lecturer | |||||
| MG1 | £23,625.87 | £24,807.16 | £26,910.81 | £27,381.75 | £29,161.56 |
| MG2 | £25,342.57 | £26,039.49 | £27,015.98 | £27,488.76 | £29,275.53 |
| MG3 | £27,379.10 | £28,132.02 | £29,186.97 | £29,697.74 | £31,626.09 |
| MG4 | £29,492.81 | £30,303.87 | £31,440.26 | £31,990.46 | £34,069.84 |
| MG5 | £31,816.07 | £32,691.01 | £33,916.92 | £34,510.50 | £36,753.68 |
| MG6 | £34,323.12 | £35,267.01 | £36,589.52 | £37,230.00 | £39,649.95 |
| Upper pay spine | |||||
| UP1 | £36,636.95 | £37,644.46 | £38,679.68 | £39,356.60 | £41,914.79 |
| UP2 | £37,995.48 | £39,040.36 | £40,113.97 | £40,816.00 | £43,469.04 |
| UP3 | £39,401.11 | £40,484.64 | £41,597.97 | £42,324.90 | £45,076.02 |
*In addition to the salary rises, employees also received a non-consolidated payment equivalent to 1.5% pay or £375, whichever is the higher. As with the other salary increases, these should be backdated to 1 August 2022.
Part-time hourly rates
Whilst part-time hourly rates should be calculated pro rata of the full-time rates, there are no central records of hourly rates owing to varying efficiency days in individual colleges. You should contact your college Human Resources Department for the part-time hourly rates and request a written explanation as to how these are calculated.
Once a lecturer has attained UP1 on the pay scale, they need to follow the employer’s procedure to apply for further performance-related pay progression on the Upper Pay Scale.
In addition to annual increments, the NASUWT and other trade unions in Wales negotiate with colleges regarding annual pay increases in recognition of the wider economic changes.
If you are employed in a learning support role or in a management role you may be paid on a different pay scale. Please contact the NASUWT Cymru National Office to discuss.
If you have any queries in relation to your pay, please contact your NASUWT Representative or contact the NASUWT Cymru National Office.
National agreements
The NASUWT and other FE unions in Wales have a joint recognition agreement with Colegau Cymru (the body which represents the FE employers in Wales). The agreement is available on the right/below.
This establishes a forum for FE employers and FE workers’ representatives to negotiate and consult on matters relevant to your employment.
In addition to the standard contracts of employment, national agreements have been made in relation to:
-
Setting Starting Salaries
-
Use of Fixed Contracts
-
Use of Hourly Paid Contracts
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Time Off In Lieu for Managers
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Use of Instructor/Demonstrator Contracts
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Consultation Requirements in Relation to Major Change Projects
-
Behaviour Management
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Domestic Abuse
The agreements are available on the right/below.
If you have any queries in relation to any of these agreements, please contact your NASUWT Representative or contact the NASUWT Cymru National Office.
Employment contracts
In 2014, the NASUWT and the other joint FE unions in Wales negotiated with FE employers to agree a national contract for all further education employees in Wales.
There are separate contracts depending on your job and on whether you are full time or part time, have fixed hours or variable hours, whether you are employed on a fixed-term basis or a permanent basis, and whether you work on a term-time only basis. You should have a written contract of employment which sets out this information.
The standard templates which employers must use are set out in the documents on the right/below.
If you have any queries in relation to your contract, please contact your NASUWT Representative or contact the NASUWT Cymru National Office.
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