Lews Castle College lecturers to strike

Lecturers at Lews Castle College will strike on Thursday (17 March) as a campaign for fair pay and pay equality in Scotland's colleges escalates.

The initial day of strike action follows a recent statutory ballot carried out by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) for members in its Further Education Lecturers’ Association (FELA).

Nationally, 88% of those voting in the ballot backed the move to strike action, on a turnout of 61%.

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The programme of strike action is scheduled to continue until the summer, escalating to two and

then three days per week, if no resolution is reached in the dispute.

Commenting on the start of strike action, Lews Castle College EIS-FELA Branch Convener Donald Macdonald said: “Lecturers regret that we have been forced into this action. The refusal by Colleges Scotland’s negotiators to make a fair national pay offer that addresses the wide variations in pay that exist throughout the Further Education sector breaks a firm commitment that was made to college lecturers.

“The Scottish Government and college management promised a return to national bargaining in the college sector, and the creation of fair and equitable national pay scales for lecturers across Scotland.”

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He continued: “After a year and a half of negotiations, neither of these commitments has been met

and colleges now intend to impose a pay settlement that would actually widen, rather than narrow,

pay inequity across the sector.

“We hope that our students, support-staff colleagues, and the wider college community will understand our reasons for taking this action as we seek a fair pay settlement and delivery of the promises that were made to lecturers.”

Picket lines will be in place at the college entrance and you can follow events and keep up with

news on the LCC EIS-FELA twitter account: @EIS_FELA_LCC

Pickets will be at the gates of Lews Castle College tomorrow (Thursday).

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