College lecturers fight for fair pay
Solidarity with EIS FELA
Lucas Grant Aberdeen
College lecturers in the EIS-FELA have once again voted in favour of industrial action on pay, as part of their long-running national dispute.
In the reballot, 71% of those voting supported Action Short of Strike (ASOS) in support of the campaign for a fair pay settlement, and almost 67% supported Strike Action.
The EIS – FELA’s dispute goes back to promises of a pay uplift from September 2022. Yet, Colleges Scotland’s offers pertaining to this have all come with the sacrificing of jobs in exchange for these pay increases.
None of this is new for college lecturers in Scotland, disputes over pay have been common in the last decade after Colleges Scotland’s repeated failure to deliver a liveable wage. Positions such as Principle and other high-ranking positions in colleges can net over £100,000 per annum, more than double or triple the current average salary of college lecturers.
EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “College lecturers have delivered a clear mandate for the continuation of industrial action in support of a fair pay settlement, and this ballot result signifies the collective strength of Scotland’s college lecturers as they continue to fight for fair pay.”
“Lecturers have faced increasingly aggressive tactics from employers, including the vindictive threat to ‘deem wages’ (aka deeming) – by withholding of up to 100% of salary from lecturers engaged in a legal programme of action short of strike. This despicable tactic from many college managements has only served to inflame the current situation and increase college lecturers’ determination to ensure the provision of quality Further Education to students of all ages, and particularly to working-class communities.” Elements of a lock out are being organised by the employers with the SNP government not intervening. Socialists call for colleges to run democratically by staff, students and the wider community not highly paid principles.
Workers in education, be they lecturers/teachers or support staff in schools, colleges and universities have faced pay stagnation of decades, leading to hardship experienced across the board.
The overwork present in the sector is also staggering, with educators regularly being forced by marking overload to working unpaid overtime. Support staff have also been failed with cases of abuse suffered seemingly a regular occurrence.
Despite any narrative that may be argued, none of this is just “part of the job”. Workers in education are entitled to far better than what is offered by the money-hungry educational institutions.
Strike action has currently been suspended for the time being due to discussions taking place with the employer. When these do take place however colleges will put in place alternative arrangements to not impact their student’s education. Students have a choice to not cross these picket lines to attend “alternative arrangements”.
Students joining their lecturers and college support staff on the picket lines can only add strength to achieving strike demands and protecting jobs. The STUC/TUC need to build solidarity for EIS FELA and all striking workers and nationally coordinate action for real pay rises, against job cuts and against all the anti-trade union laws.
