Created on: 30 May 2024
A special meeting of the EIS Executive Committee has agreed to establish a £5Million fund to support college lecturers engaged in an ongoing programme of industrial action in a long-running dispute over pay.
The major cash injection will support universal hardship payments for lecturer members of the EIS Further Education Lecturers’ Association (EIS-FELA) in colleges across Scotland.
Lecturers have faced increasingly aggressive tactics from employers, including the threat of ‘deeming’ wages – the withholding of up to 100% of salary, even on days when lecturers are not engaged in strike action but are instead engaged in action short of strike and a work to contract. This despicable tactic from management has inflamed the situation, and will place lecturers under increasing financial pressure even on days when they are at work.
The universal hardship payments will be offered to all members for all days of strike action from this week until the end of the academic session, supporting members in their fight for a fair pay settlement from employers.
Commenting following the decision to establish the hardship fund, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “The allocation of £5Million to support hardship payments is a major financial commitment from the EIS to support our lecturers in the Further Education sector.
"College management seems determined to inflict as much financial pain as possible on lecturers taking industrial action, including the disgraceful tactic of ‘deeming’ 100% of salaries from lecturers who are actually at work but taking action short of strike.
"The Scottish Government, the Minster for Further Education and the Cabinet Secretary for Education have been missing in action, seemingly turning a blind eye to the aggressive tactics of college principals who appear quite happy for strike action to continue, and for lecturers and students to suffer while this dispute drags on.”
Ms Bradley added, “Scotland’s college lecturers want an end to this dispute and a fair pay settlement, but they will not be bullied into submission by the vindictive actions of college management and by the complete abdication of responsibility from Scottish Government Ministers.
"The EIS is making a very clear statement today – we are supporting our members in Scotland’s Further Education colleges, and we will not back down until a fair deal is reached which pays college lecturers fairly and allows them to return to working normally, for the benefit of Scotland’s college students, the wider community, and our whole society."