Strikes at LIPA Sixth Form College ramp up as MPs intervene

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NEU members picketing with Kim Johnson MP (middle) in front of LIPA MAT’s Sixth Form College before Christmas. Photo: NEU

Ongoing staff strikes at LIPA Sixth Form College are now being backed by two Liverpool MPs and the city council, who are urging the college to recognise the teachers’ union and settle the dispute.

Their pleas come as the National Education Union announces its plans for staff to strike on every working day after the college’s half-term break, from February 24 to March 7.

It represents a ramping up of industrial action over alleged "serious health and safety failures" at the college, which has been rumbling on since early January.

While the NEU has hit out at "dilapidated" premises and equipment, which it said posed "a risk of injury and harm to both staff and pupils", the college has labelled the strikes "disappointing" after it claimed a recent audit found no issues with its health and safety.

The NEU has since accused LIPA Sixth Form College of "burying its head in the sand" and refusing to recognise and engage with the union to resolve the feud.

Meanwhile, LIPA Sixth Form College has accused the NEU of pursuing industrial action for "its own interests" and seeking a Trade Union Recognition Agreement as a priority ahead of championing the striking staff’s cause.

LIPA Sixth Form College is distinct from LIPA School, but both are encompassed in the LIPA Multi-Academy Trust (LIPA MAT). However, LIPA’s higher education institution is entirely separate and does not fall under the Multi-Academy Trust.

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Now, Liverpool MPs Ian Byrne and Kim Johnson have shown support for the striking teachers by visiting the picket lines.

Johnson also urged the Sixth Form College formally to recognise the teachers’ union and allow it to negotiate on the college’s behalf, noting that more than 60% of its staff are NEU members.

Summarising her words during a recent meeting with LIPA MAT in a letter to the NEU, Johnson wrote: "The possibility of an ongoing dispute is likely to tarnish the reputation of the school and, more than anything, I want to see management and staff working together to resolve the current dispute."

Local council leader Liam Robinson and councillor Lila Bennett also wrote to LIPA MAT chair Sean McNamara urging the trust to engage with the NEU.

"I implore you to sit down with the staff and find common ground so industrial action can be brought to a close," the letter read.

"Prolonged strike action is disruptive for pupils, parents and staff. The striking teachers desperately want to get back to their classrooms and continue to work with their students. Trade union recognition would bring these strikes to a close.

"Workplace representation plays a vital role in staff well-being and the protection of their rights. They can bridge the gap between staff and the trustees, lead to better staff retention, and facilitate a better working environment in the long term that delivers high-quality education to the students."

Bora Oktas, regional officer of the NEU, stated: "LIPA MAT executives are burying their heads in the sand and prolonging the dispute. As a consequence, I invite them to come down from the stage of fantasy to the reality of our members, who struggle to find someone to listen to their concerns.

"Professor McNamara, what are you waiting for? Stop waiting for Godot and address these issues seriously before the curtain falls on this stage."

A spokesperson for LIPA Sixth Form College told The Stage the college was "disappointed" that the NEU had opted to continue striking.

They continued: "It is now clear that the NEU is pursuing strike action for its own interests, securing a TURA across LIPA MAT, which employs more than 120 people. However, this is not what NEU members were balloted for when 15 members of staff from LIPA Sixth Form voted in favour of industrial action."

The spokesperson added that LIPA Sixth Form College’s trustees were working with employer consultancy helpline ACAS to "start the conciliation process", but that the NEU was demanding a TURA before entering into any negotiation. The claim follows the NEU’s opposite claim in January: that it had offered to use ACAS as a mediator, but LIPA MAT had refused.

"It is time that the NEU acted in the best interests of staff and students at LIPA Sixth Form and prioritised constructive discussion over continued strike action and picketing," the LIPA Sixth Form College spokesperson concluded.