MANAGEMENT and the teachers union NATFHE have agreed that there will be no industrial action at Suffolk College on May 28 and 29.All student teaching and assessments will continue as normal at the Ipswich college on those days and there will be no disruption to planned activities.

MANAGEMENT and the teachers union NATFHE have agreed that there will be no industrial action at Suffolk College on May 28 and 29.

All student teaching and assessments will continue as normal at the Ipswich college on those days and there will be no disruption to planned activities.

College principal, Professor Dave Müller and Ian Cowley, chairman of NATFHE – which had called for strike action – have issued the following statement:

"The corporation, college management and the lecturers' union NATFHE are concerned at the continued under-funding of the further education sector and the current pay for staff.

"On an annual basis colleges have been required to fund cost of living pay rises without receiving any additional income. This is not a position which can continue and there needs to be recognition by Government that additional funding to support staff salaries is desperately required by the FE sector".

Prof Müller, added: "I am pleased that the union has acted responsibly in ensuring that all teaching and assessments can take place as normal and that there will be no disruption to any college activity".

The chairman of NATFHE added: "Our concerns are not with Suffolk College corporation nor the senior management but with national funding streams which are insufficient to allow appropriate cost of living rises for staff salaries. "Our Union is grateful for the support of College management which underlines the seriousness of the situation".