The EIS teaching union has warned that the bitter college dispute could be back on if college principals renege on the equal pay deal that ended the walkouts.
The dispute, which saw lecturers go on strike earlier this year, was put on hold last week after a new pay scale was agreed that will give unpromoted lecturers an annual salary of just over £40,000.
The deal struck also agreed 23 hours’ teaching time for new staff out of a 35-hour working week. But the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) is holding out for 63 days of holiday entitlement for new staff.
Management want it reduced to 60 days.
Following a meeting of the EIS-FELA (Further Education Lecturers Association) leadership a request has been made to the union’s executive committee to re-instate the suspended strike action at the beginning of the next academic session if the pay elements of the deal are not implemented next month.
However, EIS-FELA said it was committed to future meetings with employers at the national joint negotiating committee to finalise areas of the deal that have still to be agreed.
EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: “The EIS met its obligation to immediately suspend the strike action and it is deeply concerned employers have not moved to ‘immediately implement the pay elements’ as was agreed, and have even stated payment may not be made until August.
“This dispute was over the failure of Colleges Scotland to honour a previous deal; lecturers will react with anger at any prospect that college management may yet seek to renege on a further agreement, especially when all parties, including Scottish Government, are agreed that the funding is there to pay for the deal.”
A spokeswoman for the Colleges Scotland Employers’ Association, said: “We are disappointed by the tone of the EIS’s communication today. Since the agreement by the EIS to suspend strike action, which was welcomed, we have been working together to ensure the agreement on pay and conditions can be implemented in full.
"In order for that to take place, and as previously agreed with the EIS, the deal requires ratification by both sides and there is a joint commitment for an Equality Impact Assessment to be put in place under the Equality Act 2010.
“The EIS is fully aware of this and we request that they focus on continuing to work with us to deliver the Equality Impact Assessment, and get the ratification as quickly as possible.”
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