College lecturers back on picket line
Second strike held in two weeks over pay deal
College lecturers took to the picket line for the second time in a fortnight yesterday.
It was the latest action of a longrunning dispute over pay and conditions.
Staff at Paisley’s West College Scotland are accusing bosses of reneging on a pay deal reached more than a year ago.
They say there was a promise of equal pay for lecturers in all colleges as well as national terms and conditions.
This followed years of pay imbalance for lecturers doing the same jobs in different colleges, according to lecturers’ union the EIS.
The lecturers were joined on the picket line at the college’s Renfrew Road campus by newly-elected Labour councillors.
One of them was Councillor Alison Dowling, who represents Houston, Crosslee and Linwood, and is also standing against sitting Paisley and Renfrewshire South MP Mhairi Black in the forthcoming General Election.
She said: “I came here today along with Labour members of the council to support the EIS in this dispute.
“They’ve been very shoddily treated.
“Their agreements both with the college and the Scottish Government haven’t been honoured.
“And they’re here to protect the terms and conditions of members and also the quality of education that the students are entitled to expect at this college.
“Nobody takes industrial action lightly.
“The hardworking staff have been driven to this.
“They’ve been let down at a political level because the SNP government have shown no interest in intervening in this dispute.
“And we are hoping that this action forces the government to come to the table and to honour their previous commitments to the union.”
Lecturer Michael McShane, 45, who teaches ESOL ( English to Speakers of Other Languages) said lecturers were fuming at the attitude of college management.
“There is massive anger with what’s going on just now,” he said.
“There was a deal signed a year ago by management that hasn’t been honoured.
“Now, management are proposing to increase our teaching time, cut back on our prep time and take three weeks holidays from us a year.
“And meanwhile they have been given the money, the SNP government have given them the money, and they are not honouring the deal.”
Mr McShane said he was personally angry about the college’s stance.
“It’s a disappointment and frustrating that I am not able to provide the best quality education to my students,” he said.
“That is my prime and sole motive for teaching.
“There are meeting on an almost daily basis and there is an intransigence from management to budge, to move, to compromise, to be reasonable.”
West College Scotland has told students every effort will be made to ensure they will not be disadvantaged as a result of the disruption caused by the strike.
Yesterday was the fourth national strike day by the EIS union, with eight more days planned.
West College Scotland Principal Audrey Cumberford, said:“The timing of this strike makes it particularly stressful for our students, many of whom are sitting final exams, taking assessments and, in some cases, looking to continue their studies at university.
“There is no doubt their studies have been disrupted by the lecturers’ strike.
“The College and Students’ Association have been contacted by a number of students who are concerned about misinformation circulating that they will be failed, or will have to repeat a year, or will not be able to progress to the next level of study as a result of the strike.
“I want to assure them that this is not the case.
“The college, the national examining authorities and the universities will all take into account the impact of this strike on our students, as well as students the length and breadth of Scotland.
“Although I cannot offer any guarantees, I can assure our students that every reasonable effort will be made to ensure that there will be no disadvantage to them because of disruption to their studies.”