Teaching staff at Truro and Penwith College are among 32 further education colleges which have voted for strike action as part of a UK-wide UCU ballot. 

In a ballot that closed this week, 84% of voters at the Cornish college voted ‘yes’ for strike action. Across the whole of the UK, teaching staff at further education institutions voted a whopping 90% in favour of strike action.

The decision to take industrial action is the latest development in a pay and workload dispute in which the union stated that recent recommendation from the Association of Colleges of a 4% pay rise was “disappointing”. The strike is also adding weight to UCU’s ‘New Deal for FE’ demands, which address pay disparity, workload agreements, and national bargaining.

It has been a tumultuous year for the college. A vote of no confidence in principal Martin Tucker and the senior management team was passed by the union in April 2025, citing improper financial management in light of roughly 100 job cuts. Staff stated that these job cuts would have a ‘destructive’ impact on education and employment prospects in Cornwall. Meanwhile, senior management has approved more tiers of management in recent years, with high salaries, whose jobs have been protected in the redundancy proposal. 

Truro and Penwith isn’t the only college group in Cornwall facing challenges. Earlier this year, Bodmin College announced it was heavily axing it’s post-16 courses, with almost all A-level and vocational courses ceased and students told to find somewhere else to study.

Young people in Cornwall already face high levels of educational isolation and disadvantage. Stretching teaching staff and closing colleges will only harm Cornwall for years to come.

Image Via: fejobs.com