‘Go extra mile’ to end strikes

NICOLA Sturgeon has urged college bosses and unions to “go the extra mile” to end a strike by lecturers.

The First Minister stressed she wanted the dispute to be settled and said ministers had been in contact with employers at Colleges Scotland and the EIS teaching union.

Lecturers in the union say strike action has been taken in a bid to force management to honour a deal reached more than a year ago.

The agreement promised equal pay for lecturers in all colleges and national terms and conditions following years of pay differences for lecturers doing the same jobs in different colleges, the EIS said.

At First Minister’s Questions, Sturgeon said: “I want to see this dispute settled, I don’t want to see college lecturers on strike.

“It’s not in their interests and it’s certainly not in the interests of college students. Talks are continuing and I would encourage both sides to go the extra mile.”

She told MSPs that ministers “have been speaking regularly with both sides to make sure we’re doing everything to encourage them to move towards a resolution”.

Sturgeon added: “If we have a situation where to resolve a dispute someone has to step in and intervene, that’s not the success of national bargaining, that would be the failure of national bargaining.”