SUPPORT staff in Worcestershire's further education colleges will be joining their teaching colleagues in a national one-day strike next week.

The strike is expected to lead to the closure of several colleges on Tuesday, November 5.

The first ever national strike in further education colleges is in support of a pay claim lodged earlier in the year for a "substantial" increase in pay for both groups of workers.

The current pay offer of a 2.3 per cent increase has been rejected as wholly inadequate, both by Unison, the trade union representing college staff, and NATFHE, the lecturers' union.

Public sector

"The present pay offer is way below the level of pay increases agreed with other groups of workers across the public sector this year," said West Midlands Unison organiser Peter Fennell.

"Pay for staff in FE colleges is already behind that for other comparable groups of workers, for example in schools, sixth form colleges and local authorities."

Unison has estimated that nearly two thirds of support staff in FE colleges earn less than £13,000 a year, and that one in five of these staff earn less than £10,000 a year.

"Colleges are losing good staff simply because they can no longer afford to work for such low pay," added Mr Fennell.

The strike is expected to hit Worcester College of Technology, Evesham and Malvern Hills College, Pershore College, Kidderminster College and North-East Worcester College.