Today’s strike action over pay by lecturers at Oxford College of Further Education has been given strong support by Socialist Alliance candidate John Lister.

The one-day stoppage, organised by the higher education union NATFHE, won overwhelming support in a recent ballot of full-time lecturers at the College. It has meant the cancellation of all lessons in the College for the day.

The dispute arises from the refusal of the College’s Governing Body to honour the national pay agreement for the last financial year 2000-01. Instead of a 3% increase, pay levels in Oxford have been frozen, widening the pay gap between lecturers and school teachers, who are paid up to £3,000 a year more.

The strike comes as NATFHE members across the country are deciding on whether to stage industrial action in pursuit of the new claim for the current financial year.

John Lister, himself a part-time lecturer at Oxford College, said:

"Although the ballot and the strike relate only to full-time staff, the pay freeze affects all lecturing staff at the college. The national increase of 3% was low enough – but not even getting that is an insult to hard-working staff, many of whom are under intense pressure.

"In schools it has been widely recognised that low pay makes it hard to recruit and retain staff and brings down morale. It is obvious that demoralised, over-worked teachers are less likely to deliver quality lessons for their students.

"The same is true in further education. Why should college lecturers, who have a key role to play in tackling problems of social exclusion and delivering the government’s promise of "Life Long Learning", be singled out for rock-bottom pay?

"I will be joining my full-time colleagues on the picket line at Oxford College (Oxpens) this morning, and offer my full support to their fight for a decent pay settlement."