Lecturer members of NASUWT – The Teachers’ Union have voted overwhelmingly to reject the pay offer for Northern Ireland’s Further Education Lecturers. Lecturers had been awarded 5% plus an unconsolidated payment of £1500.

87% of NASUWT members voted in favour of rejecting the offer, with a turnout of 63%.

71% said they were prepared to take further strike action and 93% said that they were prepared to take further action short of strike action.

The NASUWT National Action Committee will now consider the results of the member survey before deciding on the union’s next steps.

Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said:

“Northern Ireland’s Further Education lecturers are fed up with being treated as second class teachers by successive Ministers for the Economy and the College Employers.

“NASUWT FE lecturers have sent a clear signal that they are not prepared to let the pay gap widen with teachers in schools.

“The Minister for the Economy must now urgently engage with the NASUWT to develop a plan which will close the pay gap in education in Northern Ireland.”

Maxine Murphy-Higgins, NASUWT Northern Ireland Policy Casework Official, said:

“For too long, Further Education lecturers have watched the pay gap widen. They are now faced with a situation where the gap will widen further. The union is not surprised that members have voted to reject this offer.

“The current pay situation in FE is a shambles which reflects the dysfunctional situation on the Lecturers’ Negotiating Committee where the employers seem unable to work with each other never mind the trade unions”.

“It is now incumbent on the Minister to fix the negotiating arrangements, stop the redundancy process, increase pay and ensure that lecturers have working conditions which are statutorily compliant and capable of enticing new lecturers into the colleges.”