ABOUT 100 lecturers at St Helens College staged an official strike this week in a protest over proposed new contracts and salaries.

A one-day walk-out took place on Tuesday and staff warned that similar action will follow if the college continues to insist on the new contracts, which, they claim, are unacceptable bringing heavier teaching loads and fewer holidays.

The strike is the latest course of action in the long-running national dispute which first erupted in April 1993 when colleges throughout the country became independent from Government spending. St Helens is the 13th college in the region to take such action, after refusing to accept the new deals which would increase their weekly hours to 36 from 21, with no plans to increase salaries.

Jo Sutcliffe, local branch representative of the lecturers' union NATFHE, told the Star: "We have been locked in the dispute for the past three years and it has got to the stage where we feel that striking is the only solution left. We are now being expected to work a 36-hour week and most of the lecturing staff feel that is just not possible. It would mean less time spent on marking and preparing coursework for classes so students will suffer.

"In addition, we have also noticed an increase in the number of stress-related illnesses suffered by lecturers."

She added: "Staff realise that colleges are under financial pressure from Government to deliver more for less. St Helens College is expected to grow by 30 per cent this year but won't get the extra resources needed to fund the growth."

Jo, a health and safety lecturer at St Helens, is confident that college executives will now have to sit up and take notice. But she added: "If nothing is done following this week's action, more strikes will be arranged in the future until the college sees that we are not prepared to accept these contracts."

College chief executive Joe West said: "I understand that, particularly in a period of rapid expansion with some lecturers having large numbers of students, teaching can be very stressful and have indicated our willingness to provide guarantees about workload and to continue negotiating with all recognised unions.

"I am grateful that the vast majority of staff are working normally and I appeal to those taking action to help us seek a solution through negotiation and consensus."

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