Strike dates for three Hampshire colleges have been announced if staff pay and funding issues cannot be resolved.

The National Education Union (NEU) has asked its members at Barton Peveril Sixth Form College, Itchen College and Peter Symonds College to take strike action on November 28 and December 3 and 4.

This is over a dispute with the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson over whether non-academy sixth forms will get more funding for staff pay rises.

Academy colleges were promised funding for a 5.5 per cent pay increase in the recent Budget.

But the NEU said Ms Phillipson would not clarify whether the same increase would be extended to non-academy sixth forms.

The announcement of dates does not necessarily mean that all NEU members will strike on all days and the impact will vary college to college.

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Daniel Kebede, General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: "It is time for the Government to put this right. The money is clearly there for a fair, above-inflation pay award for all sixth form college teachers and our members will stand firm until they get pay justice."

A Department for Education spokesperson said: “Ensuring people have the skills they need for the future is crucial to this government’s number one mission to grow the economy. We recognise the vital role that further education, including sixth form colleges, play in this.

“Sixth form colleges are responsible for the setting of appropriate pay for their workforce and for managing their own industrial relations.

“The October Budget provided an additional £300m revenue funding for further education to ensure young people are developing the skills this country needs. The department will set out in due course how this funding will be distributed.”

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An Itchen College spokesperson said it had 'received notification of strike action from the National Education Union as part of their dispute with the Secretary of State for Education regarding funding of sixth form colleges'.

They said: "The NEU is asking its members to take part in strike action on 28th November and  3rd and 4th of December.

"The government part funded a pay award for schools and sixth form academies, but colleges received no additional funding, hence the dispute.

"We expect to be fully open on the days in question and will work hard to mitigate any disruption caused."

Barton Peveril Sixth Form College and Peter Symonds College have both been contacted to ask how these strikes will affect their schools.