National Dispute Update: Friday 16th August

Using Your Mandate

Last month, EIS FELA members demonstrated the strength of their resolve to continue the fight for a fair pay rise and thus parity of esteem with other public sector workers who have received satisfactory settlements.

A reminder of the ballot outcome

• Ballot turnout – 62.55%

• 66.92% voting in favour of Strike Action

• 71.07% voting in favour of Action Short of Strike

Thank you to every single member who cast their vote, and special thanks to those who voted to continue the industrial action. Your willingness to fight for pay justice is what has led to improvements in the offers made so far, and it is this that will leverage the further improvements needed for there to be an acceptable pay offer.

Having decisively won the mandate to continue your industrial action in pursuit of a fair pay rise, and at what might be a critical point in the dispute, it is crucial that you remain strong in your resolve and solid in your support of one another.

Using this mandate and continuing to fight for a fair pay rise together, will help deliver a satisfactory settlement sooner rather than later. (See strike dates below.)

Pay Talks

Your EIS-FELA National Representatives met with college employers last week. Unfortunately, the employers did not make an improved offer, stating that they needed funding from the Scottish Government to be able to increase the offer that has been on the table since May. The negotiators will continue to press for more money to go towards a settlement and agreed that EIS-FELA would attend any meetings with college employers and the FE Minister if they were set up.

Reminder of Strike Dates

* Except Orkney Islands College

While it is understood that strike action is always difficult to undertake, and especially after so many months, it remains the case that strike action and ASOS are necessary. This view was clearly reflected in the recent ballot.

Threats of Deeming

As members have been returning from the summer break, some aggressive employers have written to staff stating that they intend to deduct salary for participation in Action Short of Strike. 

The EIS continues to condemn this appalling anti-trade union practice, to demand the repayment of any monies deducted in respect of this, and to call on the Scottish Government to use fair work conditionality of funding to colleges to put a stop to further threats of deeming.  Deeming of wages for participation in action short of strike is designed to undermine workers’ rights to take legitimate industrial action and must be challenged.

Pushing back on deeming

The EIS has been actively campaigning in numerous ways industrially, politically and legally to oppose and challenge deeming, including:

• A national dispute on deeming

• Organising local disputes on deeming (including challenging college boards)

• Legal advice to challenge deeming threats and notices at several colleges

• National and local political lobbying

• Media coverage 

Glasgow Kelvin College successfully challenged their college board who instructed the college management to remove the threat of deeming from its lecturing staff.

Ayrshire College and South Lanarkshire College have successfully held local statutory ballots, allowing them to take local strike action to counter their colleges’ threats to deem them. 

Dundee and Angus College and New College Lanarkshire have not issued threats of deeming to their staff at any point in this dispute.

The EIS will continue to fight back against the unethical practice of deeming in every way possible, including naming and shaming where threats are issued and enabled.

Universal Hardship

The solidarity of the EIS main body towards EIS-FELA members remains strong.

In recognition of the struggle being undertaken by striking members, it was agreed by the EIS Executive Committee at a meeting on Wednesday of this week that Universal Hardship Payments will continue to be made available to FELA members who are taking strike action across August and September.

Keeping Up Political Pressure

EIS officials and officers have been working hard behind the scenes elsewhere to apply political pressure on key decision-makers following the success of the statutory ballot in mid-July.

I have written to the Board of every college in which deeming is being threatened; and have written to the Minister for FE, raising the issues and indicating our willingness to talk. Replies to all of these letters are awaited.

Following on from a letter I sent to the First Minister on his first day of office back in May, to which there has been no reply as yet, I have made the ongoing FE dispute the priority topic in my contribution within the STUC’s biannual meeting with the First Minister this week. At the meeting, the First Minister reiterated the Scottish Government view that the dispute was a matter for employers and unions to resolve and that the Scottish Government would not get involved in the negotiations. The First Minister said that he would ask his officials to look into what could be done about the threats of deeming by some college employers.

Since this meeting, EIS-FELA has accepted an invitation to a meeting on Monday with college employers and FE Minister Graeme Dey.

The EIS FELA Executive will give consideration to how further political pressure can be applied while the industrial action by members continues. Our collective strength, our support for and solidarity with one another and the justness of your cause will bring about an acceptable settlement.

Solidarity to all.

Andrea Bradley

General Secretary