Lecturers stage Strikes in jobs fight
Fears over college instructor change proposals
Teaching staff at Lanarkshire’s colleges are to strike in a row over what they claim are Scotland-wide moves to replace lecturers with poorer-paid, less qualified instructors.
Lecturers from New College Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire College are among those taking part in a national programme of strike action, with the next walk-out planned for April 20 and 21.
EIS-FELA (Further Education Lecturers Association) say industrial action is “the only means now available to safeguard our jobs and the quality of further education.”
EIS-FELA says the strike action was sparked by the refusal of college employers – and their representative body, Colleges Scotland – to ratify an agreement reached last month through the National Joint Negotiating Committee (NJNC).
To allow both sides to formally ratify that agreement in order that it could take effect, the EIS had agreed, in “good faith,” to suspend a day of action called for March 16.
Although it was ratified unanimously by EIS-FELA, Colleges Scotland failed to sanction the agreement their negotiators had reached, instead sending them back to the negotiating table to propose changes which EIS leaders claim “create a window of opportunity” for Colleges Scotland to designate lecturer responsibilities to other non-teaching staff – including instructors, assessors and tutors.
Accusing EIS-FELA of breaching national bargaining protocols by striking while talks continue, College Scotland Employers’ Association insists “both sides agree that there is no national plan in place to replace lecturers with other roles.”
But EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan – who claims employers’ refusal to ratify the agreement “forced” the reinstatement of the national programme of strike action – said: “Our members are continuing to stand firm against the practice of replacing lecturers with less qualified, lower paid staff.
“Colleges claim that there is no plan to do this, yet they continue to refuse to ratify an agreement that would halt this practice. If colleges are not seeking to replace lecturers with lower qualified staff, why are they so reluctant to ratify the agreement – incorporating their own proposals – that would stop it from happening?”
He added: “Colleges owe it to staff and students to end this dispute by ratifying the NJNC agreement. Lecturers want to return to work and continue to deliver a high-quality learning experience for students. It is up to the colleges and Colleges
Scotland to ensure that this happens.”
EIS branch secretary, national negotiator and New College Lanarkshire lecturer Eileen Imlah said: “We know what our members want and need and they [Colleges Scotland] should know the same.
“This is not the first time they have backed out of a deal after agreeing to it. There is not point in them coming to the negotiating table, not knowing where the boundaries lie from their side.”
With more than 25 years’ teaching experience, additional support needs lecturer Ms Imlah – who says there is a role for less qualified support staff to assist teaching in colleges rather than deliver it – will be on a socially distanced picket line with a colleague at the Motherwell campus next week, while others picket virtually in keeping with Covid regulations.
Unlike Forth Valley College, where members have been in a year-long dispute with employers over the reported downgrading of lecturers’ posts, she says
EIS is not in dispute with New College Lanarkshire, where a local agreement stipulates that teaching be undertaken by qualified lecturers only.
But she added: “We have never felt so vulnerable. How can you do a professional job when you are constantly living in fear of your job being downgraded overnight?”
Frazer Paton, who has lectured at South Lanarkshire College for nearly eight years, claims to have spoken to Forth Valley College lecturers facing either redundancy or redeployment to instructor-assessor status.
EIS representative Mr Paton claims those lecturers who are being redeployed face a 52 per cent increase in their workload, a 60 per cent decrease in their holiday entitlement and a potential decrease in salary of 35 per cent.
“I personally think that is not sustainable on a human or academic level,” he said. “These people are a wreckage of their former selves.”
Some students of New College
Lanarkshire, past and present, have said they back the lecturers’ stance, and support a series of two and three-day walk-outs planned between April 20 and May 13.
“If students are to be taught by people who are not as qualified, it is definitely going to compromise their learning,” said social sciences student, Roberta Lowe – a 37-year-old mum-of-two from Douglas.
“I’ve been at the college for three years and have had the same lecturers during that time. If I need an extension or extra help, I can email them at 9pm and they are back to me by 10pm. I’m never left not knowing what I’m doing. It’s pretty much a 24-hour support base.
“The way I see it, the economy will also be heavily compromised if students do not make the grades due to lack of teaching or support.
“These students are our future lawyers, mechanics, politicians, psychologists.
“It will have a lasting effect not only on this generation, but the next. Students will be at a huge disadvantage if anything happens to our full-time lecturers.”
Former student Ed Foy says he’s also supportive of lecturers’ decision to take industrial action. He said: “I was at the college for two years doing motor cycle mechanics, and what these lecturers do is above and beyond. Myself and my classmates have always praised the lecturers. What I learned from them in two years is priceless. I am full of admiration for them.”
A spokesperson for the Colleges Scotland Employers’ Association, said: “Both sides agree that there is no national plan to replace lecturers with other roles, yet the EIS-FELA refuse to call off the strikes. The EIS-FELA has breached national bargaining protocols by striking while talks continue.
“There is only one outstanding issue still to be agreed. This is around the wording of a national role profile for lecturers, which both sides are supportive of. The employers’ view is that this is a holistic role profile. However, the EIS-FELA view is that just some of the core responsibilities are necessary to deem someone a lecturer.
“We also need to ensure that any agreement reached with EISFELA doesn’t negatively impact on tutor/assessor/instructors, who are support staff.
“Tutor/assessor/instructor roles are vitally important to the learning experience in colleges, as many will come direct from industry with the knowledge and experience required to give students undertaking practical elements of courses industrystandard skills.”
If students are to be taught by people who are not as qualified, it is definitely going to compromise their learning
Roberta Lowe