Angry parents, staff and students gathered to protest against the closure of a “lifeline” Paisley nursery.
Dozens of people turned up to the West College Scotland campus in Renfrew Road this afternoon to campaign against the proposed closure of the college campus nursery.
West College Scotland previously announced plans to close the nursery schools at both its Paisley and Greenock campuses, as well as scaling back its catering services on all its sites.
But the announcement was met with an angry backlash from parents, staff and union bosses, who say the closure will have an impact on local people’s ability to return to higher education.
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Union bosses yesterday were delighted with the support from the public during the protest - which even included nursery pupils who held up banners alongside their parents.
They hope the clear public pressure will prompt a u-turn from college bosses.
UNISON regional organiser, Lorcan Mullen said: “We got a really fantastic turnout from, parents, grandparents, staff and I think parents were rally happy to get the kids involved in protesting against the closure of this lifeline facility which is very much needed in the community.
“There was a real strength of feeling from the people who are caught up in this, with many of them saying that without this nursery they would not have been able to pursue higher education.
“There is very clearly a public fight to save these facilities and that was evident at the protest.”
Representatives from Unite and Unison will now meet with bosses at West College Scotland on Thursday and hope to come to a resolution.
Lorcan added: “The principal is set to meet with the trade unions on Thursday, and we urge her to drop the closure plans and work with the nursery staff on the counter-proposals they have shared.
“These are quality, much-loved nurseries, and the trade unions will continue to stand by staff and parents fighting to protect this vital service.”
Bosses at the college have previously said the cuts have been tabled to save cash and “ensure that education provision is maintained to the highest standard”.
Amy McDonald, Vice Principal of Operations at West College Scotland said: “These proposals to close our loss-making nurseries and make changes to our catering provision have not put forward lightly, and have been backed by the College’s Board of Management.
“The College sector across Scotland is facing increasing pressure with regards to funding. To ensure financial sustainability, West College Scotland is having to consider taking tough decisions now - regarding loss-making services that are not central to our education provision - in order to safeguard jobs over the longer-term.”
