Pay us what we deserve, striking teachers say
BBCStaff at a sixth-form college have said they are worth just as much as teachers in other sectors after walking out over pay.
Members of the National Education Union (NEU) at Wyke Sixth-Form College, in Hull, said it was "totally unfair" that sixth-form colleges were not included in the 5.5% pay award received by most teachers in schools in September.
A spokesperson from the Department for Education said sixth-form colleges were "responsible for the setting of appropriate pay" and "for managing their own industrial relations".
Wyke college said it was "very frustrated" because it had received no additional funding for teacher pay in the current academic year.
It is the fifth organised strike this academic year by NEU members at Wyke and another Hull sixth-form, Wilberforce College.
About 20 teachers and union representatives raised banners and flags outside Wyke earlier.
Hannah Coulson, an English teacher and NEU representative, said they had walked out because pay negotiations had fallen through.
"It's really difficult because we know we work as hard as any other teachers in all other sectors," said Hannah.
"We don't want to be standing out here, I want to be in college teaching my students."
She said it was "totally unfair" for sixth-form teachers, "who put in ridiculous hours every week", to be told they were "worth 5.5% less than anybody else".
Claire Bhana, a fellow teacher at Wyke, said the strike was about the future of young people.
"Nothing else happens in the world without teachers. There are no lawyers, there are no doctors, there are no nurses, there are no police," she said.
"Teachers are the bedrock of everything else, so if the government want good people teaching they'll have to pay for it."
The spokesperson for the Department for Education said the government had provided an additional £300m of funding for further education "to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs".
They added: "The department will set out in due course how this funding will be distributed."
In a statement, Wyke College said: "We have amazing staff at Wyke who provide exceptional education for the young people of our region, and we are doing everything we can to provide the most generous pay we can afford."
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