Staff at a number of  colleges have voted to accept pay deals of up to 10 per cent.

The University and College Union (UCU) said its members at 25 colleges have overwhelmingly voted in favour, following deals at 35 other colleges.

The latest agreement includes an improved offer at Bolton College after UCU members took three days of strike action earlier this month.

A spokesman for the Union said: "We can now report that an improved offer has been made by management and accepted by members consisting of a 7 per cent pay increase from Dec 1st, 2 extra days holiday, a draft workload agreement and management have also agreed not to deduct wages from striking staff."

 

The UCU urged a small number of “increasingly isolated” bosses to return to the negotiating table to resolve a handful of remaining disputes.

UCU general secretary Jo Grady said: “After a sustained campaign for better pay and conditions in further education, we are proud to announce these latest pay awards, which will go a long way to helping college staff meet the cost-of-living crisis.

“These hard-won uplifts come off the back of our co-ordinated strike ballots across England alongside resolute bargaining and negotiating by our members.

“There are now just seven bosses who are shamefully holding and refusing to make an offer acceptable to our members.

“They urgently need to recognise that staff need manageable workloads and decent pay and get back to the negotiating table to avoid the possibility of further strike action.”