Perth College UHI students are set to face disruptions and cancellations to their classes over the next five weeks due to lecturer strikes.
Teaching staff who are members of the national trade union will take part in industrial action at the Crieff Road campus today and Wednesday (April 26-27) over a long-running pay dispute.
Further strikes are set to follow on May 4-5, May 10-12, May 17-19 and May 24-26 if an agreement is not reached.
Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland – Further Education Lecturers’ Association (EIS-FELA) are taking the action seeking a “fair pay rise” that recognises their efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The union has been at loggerheads with Colleges Scotland over the matter since last June.
And now, after negotiations over a one-off flat payment broke down, the lecturers’ union has informed colleges across Scotland of their intention to take industrial action, with faculty at Perth College following suit.
The first of EIS-FELA’s planned 14 days of action across six weeks took place last Wednesday, where Perth College warned students that classes were “at risk of cancellation”.
Colleges Scotland said the action was “disappointing” but the union argues that the offer fails to address rises in the cost of living and more than 70 per cent of members backed industrial action.
EIS-FELA branch secretary at Perth College Sara O’Hagan called the current pay offer “derisory”, adding: “EIS-FELA are taking industrial action in pursuit of a fair pay rise.
“These negotiations started in June 2021 and the employers association have dragged it out until now.
“The offer of £1000 is made up of £850 consolidated and a one-off ‘thank you’ payment of £150 for all of the work carried out by lecturers during the pandemic.
“At the most recent negotiations, the employers offered another £30 and when this was rejected increased this to an additional £50 one-off payment.
“The offer as it stands is equivalent to an average of two per cent which is way below CPI (consumer price index) and RPI (retail price index).
“Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, further education lecturers have consistently risen to the challenge ensuring that they have delivered learning to their students - whether that was moving face to face provision online or delivering in difficult conditions with PPE.
“For two years many lecturers have used their home as their classroom without any financial incentive – happy to do so to ensure their students were not disadvantaged.
“The current pay offer is derisory in the face of all of this.
“It does not recognise the blood, sweat and tears that went in to this.
“Additionally, further education is being held up as a major driver in the economic recovery from COVID.
“This can only be achieved if we have the staff to deliver this.
“Continued industrial action is likely to impact recruitment and retention of further education lecturing staff and students and that is the last thing that either side wants.
“EIS-FELA urge our employers Colleges Scotland to review the offer and re-engage in negotiations.”
Perth College UHI bosses have confirmed they have been informed that its EIS-FELA staff members have been asked to take part in strike action this week on both Tuesday, April 26 and Wednesday, April 27.
Commenting on the industrial action, Perth College UHI Principal Dr Margaret Cook said: “Our priority is our students, and we will do all we can to minimise the disruption caused.”
The latest strikes mark a return to soured relationships between the union and college management after they were embroiled in a pay dispute between January 2019 and October 2020.
A number of strikes were held outside Perth College until faculty accepted a two per cent consolidated pay increase for the 2020-2021 session.
