AoC pay recommendation for 2022/23

AoC has today published its response to the Joint Trade Union Pay Claim 2022/23, following the second meeting of the National Joint Forum, which is outlined below.

The AoC pay recommendation for 2022/23

• A consolidated uplift in pay of 2.5% for all staff
• A £500 non-consolidated payment to be made to staff up to a threshold to be agreed locally and subject to local affordability
• We further recommend that for staff earning less that £25,000 per annum the non-consolidated uplift should be £750

Press quote

David Hughes, AoC chief executive, said: “I am disappointed, of course, but not surprised that our revised offer to the unions was rejected because it fell short of their 10% claim and will be judged by college staff in light of their own personal costs rising.

“I have said many times before that college staff deserve better pay, but that can only come if Government invests fairly in colleges. I am pleased therefore that my letter to Nadhim Zahawi, the Education Secretary, urging him to seek extra funding from the Treasury to boost college pay and help fix the growing retention and recruitment crisis colleges face, has resulted in constructive conversations at the highest levels in DfE. We will continue to pursue additional funding and support from DfE over the coming weeks and have also met with Treasury to press for support. It is clear that the cost of living crisis and the recruitment and retention challenges are not going away soon, so it is good to see the Education Secretary and his officials appreciate that.

“Our revised pay recommendation is aimed at helping the lowest paid staff in colleges who are struggling most with the surging cost of living. It is the largest pay recommendation since 2014 but it is on the limits of what is affordable for colleges.

“Our recommendation represents a 6.6% increase for staff at the very lowest end of the pay scale because we’ve recommended both a 2.5% rise and a non-consolidated cost pressure payment of £750 for those earning up to £25,000, and £500 for others subject to locally agreed thresholds. We have asked those colleges not currently paying staff the Living Wage Foundation minimum wage, which is currently £9.90 – and £11.05 in London, to publish their timeframe for implementation.

“We understand that there will be union ballots in at least some colleges with the aim of strike action in the autumn. We have asked the unions to delay any action until after the critically important recruitment period to limit the impact on students and on student numbers.”