Created on: 23 Aug 2023 | Last modified: 09 Nov 2023
The EIS has announced additional strike dates in the ongoing dispute at City of Glasgow College (CoGC) over plans from the college management to cut course provision and jobs.
The EIS has now served notice on City of Glasgow College of a further 15 days’ strike action over cuts to learning provision coupled with redundancies. Starting on 5th September, lecturers will be striking in a bid to overturn plans to pass on funding cuts directly to staff. EIS-FELA (EIS Further Education Lecturers’ Association) has been in dispute with the College since February this year after it announced increased workloads for lecturers, reduced face to face contact time for students, cuts to the numbers of Learning Support lecturers, and two rounds of redundancy – one of which is compulsory.
Commenting, EIS General Secretary, Andrea Bradley, said, “City of Glasgow is still a public sector, publicly funded college and as part of the funding arrangements the College must be able to demonstrate a commitment to Fair Work. The complete opposite is true here. We have long-standing concerns over a culture of bullying of staff in this College, as evidenced by a survey the EIS-FELA branch carried out last year. It has so far been clear that the College’s senior leadership team aims to steamroller ahead with cuts and redundancies in their usual style: authoritarian, flippant towards staff concerns and student needs, and contemptuous of trade unions. This has directly resulted in the protracted dispute that we are about to see continue at a time when students should be able to make positive starts to the new academic year.”
Ms Bradley added, “That no one has yet been served notice of compulsory redundant despite the College’s intention to do so on 18th June is testament to the hard work of the EIS-FELA reps and our members’ resolve. Nonetheless, we are calling on the Scottish Government to intervene urgently in this dispute to protect jobs and the quality and continuity of education provision in the College, including for those with additional support needs. We want the College to sign up to a bespoke Fair Work agreement in order that there can be a joint review of the processes followed to date and to set the tone for a new culture moving forward. The best interests of the students and staff of City of Glasgow College must be the top priority.”
EIS-FELA members in the college will be on strike 5-8th; 11-14th; 19-21st; and 26-29th September.