College lecturers in Scotland vote for strike action

College lecturers in Scotland have voted in favour of strike action.

The ballot was arranged by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), which said 92% of those who took part in the ballot voted for the action on a turnout of 60%.

It follows claims by the union that some roles were being replaced with lower paid posts.

Colleges Scotland, representing employers, has criticised the action and said no such plans were in place.

EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said any cuts in the middle of the pandemic "must be stopped", with the ballot result to be considered next week.

'Challenging year'

He added: "The EIS is clear that colleges seeking to cut lecturing jobs in this way, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, is simply unacceptable and must be stopped.

"Education remains key to successful recovery from the impact of the pandemic and lecturers are essential to the delivery of a quality learning experience for Scotland's college students."

Mr Flanagan said the union remained committed to continuing talks with employers in the hope that strike action could be avoided.

A spokeswoman for Colleges Scotland described the action as "extremely disappointing" during what had been a "very difficult and challenging year" for staff and students across Scotland.

She said: "The EIS-FELA has accepted that there is no national plan to replace lecturers with tutor/assessor/instructor roles, nor any other support staff roles, yet have still pushed forward with the ballot and the threat of industrial action."

She added: "We are continuing talks with the EIS-FELA, and have agreed to meet again week commencing March 1 in the hope that we can reach a resolution and avoid any further unnecessary disruption for students."