Tag: EIS-FELA trade union

EIS-FELA Suspends this Week’s College Strikes Following Progress in Talks

The EIS has announced that strikes in Scotland’s Further Education colleges, scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week, have been suspended following significant progress after some meetings this morning involving EIS-FELA representatives, College Employers Scotland and the Scottish Government Minister for Further & Higher Education.

Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “EIS-FELA representatives met with representatives of Scotland’s Colleges after meeting the Minister responsible for Further Education, this morning.

“Significant progress was made at this meeting, with the result that EIS-FELA and the EIS have decided to suspend three days of strike action, scheduled for this week.

“This is intended as an act of good faith and in the interests of supporting students, and is on the understanding that an improved offer will be made formally by College Employers Scotland in the coming days.”

Ms Bradley continued, “While a final settlement has yet to be reached, EIS-FELA negotiators were significantly encouraged by today’s developments and believed it appropriate to suspend this week’s strikes.

“Based on discussions this morning, we remain hopeful that a resolution can be struck that will finally see a fair pay settlement that will allow lecturers to return to working as normal, and to do what they do best which is supporting their students in colleges across Scotland to learn and progress.”

Ms Bradley added, “Discussions will now continue to iron out final details. Once a revised offer is formally on the table, our intention is to put this to EIS-FELA members in a ballot.

“Today has brought us closer to an end to this long-running dispute, and we hope that discussions will now move quickly and smoothly towards a fair agreement for all parties and a return for students to the uninterrupted, quality learning and teaching that they need and deserve.”

Note – While strike action has been suspended for this week, the programme of Action Short of Strike (ASOS) currently remains in place, including the ongoing resulting boycott.

Edinburgh College lecturers speak out

As of Thursday 15th August, members of the EIS-FELA trade union at Edinburgh College who are  taking part in Action Short of a Strike will be docked (deemed) 100% of their pay.

College  lecturers across Scotland are taking part in a protracted dispute over pay and job security, and  have had no consolidated pay rise since 2021 despite rampant inflation. 

In a recent email to all staff, Edinburgh College Principal Audrey Cumberford conceded that  staff should be “due a pay award that reflects the issue of pay erosion over a number of years,  and reflects the value of what you do”.

She further accepts that the current pay dispute is  inextricably linked to the lack of Scottish Government funding of the sector, and that colleges  have been left behind compared to other public sector organisations when it comes to cost-of living payrises. 

EIS Branch Secretary Dan Holland said: “It is welcome that Edinburgh College leaders now  publicly recognise what EIS members have been saying from the outset: that the Scottish  Government are providing the barrier for a cost-of-living pay rise in the college.

“However, by  choosing to punish staff for participating in Action Short of a Strike and deduct all their salary, this has now escalated the matter locally which will only serve to harm industrial relations. 

“Following a local strike last year which damaged these relations, the local EIS branch has  worked extremely hard with local management to repair this trust.

“This unconscionable act of  deducting all our salary for refusing to complete less than 1% of our job is effectively locking staff out of coming to work, as the Principal clearly stated that any work carried out would be  consider voluntary and go unpaid.

“The local branch implores the Principal to withdraw this  punitive approach to evidence her commitment to the agreed cultural reset.” 

Last year, the Edinburgh College EIS Branch passed a unanimous vote of no-confidence in  Audrey Cumberford following an acrimonious redundancy process and complaints of bullying  within the college.

Edinburgh College’s own Hive survey, commissioned at the cost of  approximately £20k, further highlighted that there are significant cultural issues within the college.

Ironically, an all-staff day tomorrow – Monday 19th August – will be themed around improving the culture of the college will see many EIS members unable to attend due to this de facto lockout without pay.