51¸£Àû

I am writing with the latest news on 51¸£Àû's New Deal for FE campaign. 

On Wednesday 17 September 51¸£Àû, alongside our sister unions in FE (NEU, Unison, GMB and Unite) will meet with employers' representative Association of Colleges (AoC). 

At that meeting we expect the AoC to make a pay recommendation for the 2025/26 year.

It is important to note that AoC's pay recommendation is not binding, and it will not guarantee that all staff working in further education colleges in England will receive it, but it does send a signal to college employers, and the joint unions' response to AoC will consider a full range of issues.

The joint unions' FE pay claim, which was submitted in April 2025, as well as 51¸£Àû's New Deal for FE campaign, is calling for:

• a 10%/£3000 pay rise
• parity with schoolteacher pay within 3 years
• a minimum starting salary of £30,000 
• reform of the pay spine
• closing equality pay gaps
• national agreements on workload
• a return to national bargaining that is binding
• putting FE at the heart of a new government's plans. 

At 51¸£Àû's further education sector conference (FESC) in May 2025, delegates from FE voted to escalate the New Deal for FE campaign to a dispute and ballot for strike action, if AoC would not make a meaningful offer to the joint union claim.

College employers are on notice that 51¸£Àû is serious about escalating, so now it is over to them. 51¸£Àû's head of further education and I will write again after the 17 September meeting with AoC.

Meanwhile, please take a moment to check your details on 51¸£Àû's membership portal My51¸£Àû, and make sure all your details are up to date so that you will continue to receive all the important information on the New Deal for FE. 

In solidarity

Jo Grady
51¸£Àû general secretary