First Minister urges college bosses to go ‘extra mile’ for solution

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has stepped in to the college lecturers’ pay dispute, advising managers to “go the extra mile” to resolve it.

EIS members said they staged industrial action yesterday after bosses “refused” to honour a deal which was agreed last year.

The strike was the first in a series of planned industrial action, with another walkout due to take place next Wednesday.

The dispute was raised at Holyrood yesterday, with Labour MSP Monica Lennon asking what “urgent action” the Scottish Government planned on taking.

Hundreds of lecturers also gathered outside Parliament, chanting “Shirley-Anne, what’s the plan”, in reference to Shirley-Anne Somerville, the minister for further education.

Ms Sturgeon said: “As I understand it, the dispute is not actually about pay.

“The pay increases have, broadly, been agreed.

“The dispute is now about terms and conditions – the amount of class contact time and numbers of holidays.

“I would encourage the employers to go the extra mile to resolve the dispute and I hope they will be able to do that through discussion with the union.

“The move to national bargaining is a significant step forward.

“If we want national bargaining to work, both sides must be prepared to come to a resolution.

“I hope that happens very soon.”

Ms Sturgeon’s comments were slammed by a senior college source, who called the unions’ demands “unaffordable”.

The source said: “The Government needs to put pressure on the unions to negotiate terms and conditions as a way to unlock this dispute.

“The employers are open to a fair and reasonable solution but the unions will not move an inch on their demands for a significant pay hike linked to less teaching and more holidays. ”