College classes hit but campuses open as lecturers join national strike

It means some classes will be cancelled, but Fife College said all campuses would be open.

The college also said the industrial action was “unnecessary and very regrettable.”

Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and the Further Education Lecturers’ Association (FELA) will be on picket lines from this morning, as they continue their campaign for a fair cost of living pay increase.

Lecturers voted in favour of taking strike action last month, with 90 per cent of those voting backing the action.

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Over the period of the dispute, the EIS said it has amended its pay claim on a number of occasions in a bid to engage college management in meaningful negotiations.

Larry Flanagan, EIS General Secretary said, “Lecturers have been forced into this strike action by an intransigent management group that has refused to even attempt to reach a negotiated solution ahead of today’s strike.

“Scotland’s college lecturers have not received a cost of living pay increase since 2016, and are asking for only the same type of cost of living increase that has been awarded to many other groups of public sector workers. Our revised claim, submitted in December, is wholly consistent with Scottish Government public sector pay policy.

“Yet Colleges Scotland has not yet responded to this revised claim and is continuing to use the delivery of equal pay as a barrier to negotiation, using conflated figures in publicity to obfuscate the pay claim.

The EIS strongly urges Colleges Scotland to prioritise a return to meaningful negotiations, in the hope of agreeing a resolution to this dispute.”

A spokesman for Fife College said students affected by the action had been contacted individually.

A statement said: “The strike action by some members of the EIS union is unnecessary and very regrettable. All campuses will remain open on the day of the strike.

“Our students remain our top priority and we are therefore aiming to run as many classes as we can. To ensure the safety and wellbeing of all our students some classes have been cancelled – those students affected by this have been contacted individually.”

“We are encouraging students who have classes cancelled to use this time for self-study either on campus or at home.

“College staff will be on hand in our libraries and learning hubs to offer support if needed. Any student with questions or concerns should speak to their lecturer or curriculum manager - they can also contact us by emailing [email protected] or call 0344 248 0115.”