NEU says "unacceptable" pay, "excessive workloads" and "failed national bargaining arrangements" result in overwhelming favour to strike
Discontented staff are preparing to take strike action following “unacceptable” negotiations over pay restraints and “excessive workloads”, a union spokesperson says.
City of Portsmouth College employees across three campus sites in the city are due to take industrial action on March 16, 17 and 18 in coordination with the National Education Union (NEU) and the University and Colleges Union (UCU).
This will mark the second round of strike action at the college this year due to an ongoing dispute concerning an increase in pay, workload and bargaining arrangements.
Phil Clarke, Regional Secretary of the NEU, said: “It is unacceptable that, following years of pay restraint, NEU members should be expected to continue to see falls in the real value of their pay, must manage excessive workloads and suffer the consequences of failed national bargaining arrangements.
“The NEU therefore fully supports our members to take industrial action to progress these matters and we remain open to meaningful negotiations to resolve this dispute.”
The college, which consists of the Sixth Form Campus, Highbury Campus and the North Harbour Campus, was established in 2021 following a merger and has not seen industrial action prior to this year.
In September 2025, trade union negotiators met with the Association of Colleagues (AoC), an association of employers in the Further Education (FE) sector, where it was recommended colleges should make a pay award of 4 per cent for 2025/26 for all staff.
Despite this suggestion, City of Portsmouth College have put forward an award of 2.5 per cent, resulting in 83.3 per cent of union members in favour of strike action on a 53.9 per cent turnout.
Picket lines will be as follows:
- Sixth Form Campus, Tangier Road, Portsmouth: 8.30am - 10.30am
- Highbury Campus, Tudor Crescent, Cosham: 8.00am - 10.00am
- North Harbour Campus, Southampton Road: 8:00am - 10.00am
A spokesperson for the City of Portsmouth College previously said the education setting “remains committed to creating a working environment that’s inclusive, aspirational and accommodating to all its staff.”
The City of Portsmouth College has been contacted for a comment.