A third day of strike action by lecturers at Edinburgh College, due to take place on Tuesday, has been suspended to allow talks to take place at Acas.
The EIS union had been taking industrial action in support of a colleague they claimed had been “sacked unfairly via a flawed disciplinary process”.
A meeting between union officials and college management will now take place with conciliation service Acas on Tuesday.
Last week Edinburgh College lecturers took a second day of strike action in support of a colleagues who, the EIS believes, was sacked unfairly ‘via a flawed disciplinary process that relied on anonymous complaints’.
The walk out was the latest stage of an ongoing programme of action following lengthy discussions with college management in an attempt to reach a resolution. A recent ballot returned a 76% vote in favour of industrial action in support of the dismissed lecturer.
EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said on Wednesday: “The EIS-FELA branch in Edinburgh College is taking this action in support of their colleague. Our members do not take strike action lightly but we have been left with no other option after many months of fruitless discussions with college management over this dismissal.
“It is important that work places are safe and that employment processes are followed and any issues are dealt with in a fair and consistent manner. That is why staff requested an industrial action ballot from the EIS which resulted in a 76% vote in favour of industrial action.”
Speaking before the strike action, Edinburgh College Branch Secretary Penny Gower said, “This is the second day of action and lecturers will be on picket lines across all Edinburgh College campuses standing shoulder to shoulder with our dismissed colleague.
“We are prepared to meet with management at any time to resolve this issue and return this lecturer to the classroom where he belongs.”
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