The picket line in front of Lewisham College this week continued to ask for a 10% pay raise for its staff and FE teachers.
The University and College union has called upon thousands of teachers and staff to strike for a better pay deal. Their main concern comes from the post pandemic inflation putting pressure on their daily expenditure.
Despite the Association of Colleges recommended a 2.5% increase in salary in June, it is not enough to cope with the inflation. Since 2009, the actual wage in higher education has been decreasing up to 35%.
While some colleges, such as Oxfordshire and Croydon Colleges, have accepted improved pay deals, members of Lewisham College have yet reached an agreement with its administration.
Interviews with some of the strikers revealed more details about their lives, why they are striking, as well as the goal they hope to achieve in this strike.
English teacher Robert said his current pay is too low to support rent and transport. He further added that teachers in London are underpaid and could not support a proper living.
Another member of the protestors detailed the rough situations they were struggling. Starting her career as a visiting tutor back in 2012, Portia Tertullien's earning was not comparable to regular teachers even though she spent most days of the week at the college.
Even after securing a contract, Mrs. Tertullien said her situation had not improved while the workload continued to increase over the past few years. As the inflation worsened, she added, they were really feeling the pinch.
Mrs. Tertullien explained the difficulties also included the expansion of administration, which can be “tight sometimes to get the planning in because the administration is so great.” Comparatively, the management, who could weather the cost of living increasing, seemed to have enough pay raise to match inflation, she added.
"The comparison is strange. Why are they happy to take care of themselves so blatantly when the rest of the people on the ground were not rewarded appropriately."
--Mrs. Tertullien
As a mother to a daughter, Mrs. Tertullien mentioned it has been a squeeze for a while to the point where she had to borrow money or cut back on costs.
"10% is like a minimum, in my opinion. It's really not going to change our lives. It's basically just going to help us catch up and maybe get us through the end of the month."
--Mrs. Tertullien
Finally, ESOL lecturer and a long time UCU committee member Sarah shared her opinion on the event.
Sarah said although it is the union's mission fight for better terms and conditions for everyone across the sector and achieve the 10% pay increase goal, they are also happy for those colleges in accepting offers that are good enough for their teachers.
When asked if she's worried the strike might affect students negatively, Sarah said the students understood it was necessary to have good quality teachers who wanted stay in their jobs.
"The students are really supporting us. I have a student who's out there with a sign saying ‘she wants a decent salary for her teachers so they have the opportunity to learn properly. "
--Sarah