I have called for the Scottish Government to urgently intervene in the ongoing college lecturers pay dispute as the new academic year fast approaches.
My call came after the announcement of a further two weeks of strike action at the start of the new academic year by trade union EIS-FELA after a successful reballoting of members.
I have written to the Minister for Further Education, Graeme Dey MSP, on a number of occasions to raise my concerns for the future of college and further education, in jeopardy due to the lack of sufficient resources provided by the Scottish Government.
It is clear that both trade unions and College Employers Scotland have been engaging in meaningful talks to bring an end to this dispute but unfortunately a satisfactory offer has still not come out of it.
What is glaringly obvious is the Minister for Further Education Graeme Dey MSP and the Scottish Government’s complete abdication of responsibility for their crucial role in this ongoing action – they are simply missing in action.
I am calling on the Minister to urgently intervene in the negotiations as ultimately the buck stops with him and his government – they provide the funding, they announce the cuts but expect everyone else to fight over dwindling resources. It is simply not good enough.
These negotiations are about much more than a pay deal for lecturers, although those lecturers have not seen a pay rise since 2021 – it is about the value we place on our colleges, a commitment to properly resourcing education, and a recognition that further education is the key to a successful future economy.
The SNP Government has been happy to involve itself in pay disputes before – it cannot just pick and choose which workers it is willing to support and lecturers have waited long enough.
That is why I have now written to the Cabinet Secretary for Education, Jenny Gilruth MSP, to urge her to bring an end to this dispute before it leads to further upheaval for lecturers and students alike.
