Staff picketed a Bradford & Ilkley Community College board meeting to protest about a pay decision.

The picket was organised by the joint unions at the college, including the National Association of Teachers in Further and Higher Education (NATFHE) and Unison, after staff were told they would not be getting a pay rise.

Union representatives lobbied college governors as they arrived at the supervisory corporation board meeting in Bradford city centre.

Tina Downes, of NATFE, who also works at the college, said: "The corporation agreed financial forecasts at a meeting in the summer and this included an assumption that there should be no pay rise for any staff in the current financial year.

"We feel that with funding getting tighter and the college structure changing, our jobs are getting more and more demanding, but the staff don't feel their efforts are being recognised.

"I've never known morale to be so low and anger at an all-time high. This is among both academic and non-academic staff.

"The college staff are working harder for less money in real terms.

"A zero pay increase is really a pay cut and is no way to reward such effort."

Tina Downes said they were lobbying the meeting because they weren't convinced that all the governors were aware of the pay situation.

The unions claim that the pay issue has not been debated by the corporation.

Students also organised a picket outside the meeting, calling for college principal Alan Hodgson to be sacked.

The Socialist Worker Student Society alleged that Mr Hodgson earns £100,000 a year while the college faces staff and course cuts.

Members waved placards and handed leaflets to governors as they arrived at the college.

And more than 400 students signed a petition which was handed to the meeting.

"The college is wasting money on fat cat salaries for its management while staff and students are suffering pay cuts," said Anne Alexander, of the Socialist Worker Student Society.

"We're supporting the staff fully and we're asking the governors to stop the cuts and sack the principal.

"This is just the first stage of our campaign and we just want to let the governors know what the feeling is amongst the students."

Ian McMillan, clerk to the BICC, hit back at the students' claims, describing them as 'nonsense and ill-informed'.

He also refuted claims that Mr Hodgson earned £100,000 and that course cuts were likely.

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