Staff strike set to affect college students

College students across Lanarkshire are set to be affected by a walkout of a whole host of staff at colleges across the country.

More than 2000 support staff, including librarians, IT specialists, administrators, cleaners, canteen workers and estate management staff, at 21 colleges in Scotland are to strike this week in a row over pay and jobs, says union UNISON.

The workers will walk out on February 29 unless employers get back around the table and settle a dispute over their pay rise being linked to possible compulsory redundancies.

The move comes after UNISON members in colleges, who were on strike last year, voted overwhelmingly to renew the mandate for strike action in December 2023, with 81 per cent in favour.

Among the 21 colleges affected by the industrial action include New College Lanarkshire, which has campuses in Motherwell, Coatbridge and Cumbernauld, and South Lanarkshire College.

UNISON Scotland’s further education branch secretary Chris Greenshields said:“College staff up and down the country have had enough.

“It has been 76 weeks since they were due their pay rise in September 2022 and they are demanding that this dispute is settled with a fair pay rise free from the threat of compulsory redundancies hanging over them.

“UNISON is committed to reaching a resolution to this dispute and submitted another revised proposal in December 2023 to resolve matters which the colleges took over two months to reject.

“College staff want an end to this dispute and to get back to the jobs they love – supporting learners.”

Chair of UNISON Scotland Further education committee Collette Bradley added:“Further education in Scotland is in chaos and this dispute has now been going on for 18 months. No one takes the decision to strike lightly. We all know how important it is for students’studies not to be disrupted.”