College lecturers hold one-day strike
Classes cancelled as union calls dispute
Lecturers at Forth Valley College joined thousands across Scotland in striking yesterday (Thursday) after pay settlement talks broke down.
FVC – which has 14,500 students and 600 staff across their campuses at Stirling, Alloa and Falkirk – cancelled classes during the first of what could be a series of oneday strikes by members of the Educational Institute of ScotlandFurther Education Lecturers’ Association.
Striking lecturers picketed FVC’s Stirling campus which remained open for ‘self-directed study’ for the 2400 students who study courses there.
There are 67 academic staff at the Kildrean site.
FVC principal Dr Ken Thomson said: “Less than half of our academic staff (43 per cent) took part in today’s planned industrial action.
“All campuses remained open and a number of students made use of our facilities for self-directed study.
“In addition, our commercial salons and the Gallery Restaurant in Stirling operated as normal and scheduled exams and events went ahead as planned.
“Whilst all classes were cancelled today as we reviewed the impact of the industrial action, we will now look to put arrangements in place going forward to minimise any further disruption to our students and partners.
“Our focus, as always, is ensuring we continue to deliver the highest quality learning experiences for our students whilst all parties involved work towards a solution to this dispute.”
The union blamed “management intransigence” for the failure on Tuesday of talks at the arbitration service ACAS aimed at settling the dispute concerning the implementation of a pay package agreed last year.
Employers body Colleges Scotland has accused the union of striking to get more money for less work.
Bosses say they have offered a nine per cent pay rise over two years – bringing salaries up to around £40,000 – plus 56 days’ holiday a year and a teaching working week of up to 26 hours.
They say the union wants 66 days’ holiday and a teaching working week of 21 hours.
However, the EIS-FELA has accused Colleges Scotland of misrepresenting their position and yesterday its president John Kelly said: “College management have spent a lot of time recently, often via expensive external spin-doctors, talking about greed – an issue on which they are certainly experts, given their proclivity to award themselves excessive pay packages and bumper salary increases.
“However, what lecturers are on strike for is not, as management claim, more money.
“The pay element of this deal was agreed by both sides over a year ago, as was the timetable for its implementation.
“Our sole demand is that the deal struck last year should be honoured. Rather than wasting taxpayers’ money on spin against the agreement, college management should instead focus on delivering that agreement as promised.”
The union have a further 11 days of action scheduled up to the end of June.