EIS college lecturer members recently voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking strike action to defend lecturing jobs within Scotland’s Further Education Colleges. In a statutory industrial action ballot, 92% of members voted in favour of strike action to protect lecturing jobs, on a turnout of 61%.

Commenting, EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “Lecturers in Scotland’s Further Education Colleges have sent a very strong message to their employers with this extremely clear ballot result. Our members will not accept the continuing threat from colleges to remove lecturing jobs and replace them with lower qualified, and more poorly paid, posts.”

Following the ballot result, a programme of escalating strike action was approved. However, just as this SEJ went to press, the planned strike action was suspended following an outline agreement with employers – subject to approval by EIS-FELA members.