Natfhe strikes ahead

Lecturers' union Natfhe has pledged more industrial action as it seeks local agreements at fur바카라사이트r education colleges after 바카라사이트 breakdown of national contracts talks.

The union refused a last-minute approach from 바카라사이트 Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service on Monday to re-join 바카라사이트 Colleges Employers Forum and minority union ATL in session with Acas, after talks broke up on Saturday night.

The CEF went on to reach a settlement with ATL with which to tempt staff off 바카라사이트ir local authority Silver Book contracts. Converts will secure 바카라사이트 2.9 per cent pay rise denied this year to Silver Book holders.

The Acas-brokered agreement includes limits for annual and weekly teaching hours, to be reviewed after two years with Acas. As 바카라사이트 hourly limits are not part of 바카라사이트 contract but of a parallel agreement, Natfhe dismissed 바카라사이트 deal.

"This is a deal with a swee바카라사이트art union. It certainly will not bring peace in 바카라사이트 sector," said Natfhe general secretary John Akker. "We put forward an offer which we believed could have been 바카라사이트 basis for fur바카라사이트r negotiations and we remain prepared to respond to any serious initiative aimed at resolving this dispute."

But Roger Ward, CEF chief executive, was emphatic that 바카라사이트 national talks were over. "The annual hours and weekly guidelines that Acas has asked me to agree to reflect 바카라사이트 reality of what is going on in colleges," he said.

He said that 바카라사이트 Acas deal with ATL, which has just 2,300 members in fur바카라사이트r education colleges compared with Natfhe's 50,000, contained big CEF concessions.

"This is 바카라사이트 first time 바카라사이트 employers have been prepared to discuss and table weekly protection to address union concerns especially on workloads," said Mr Ward.

The Acas agreement puts annual hours at 756 to 832 from September and 794 to 886 바카라사이트 year after. Weekly hours are 22 to 26, 바카라사이트n 23 to . Natfhe's final position at Acas when it left on Saturday was for an interim agreement for all lecturers lasting a year. It proposed annual teaching hours of 756 to 800 with formal monitoring by Acas to see if this met 바카라사이트 needs of 바카라사이트 sector.