With college employers failing to return to the negotiating table with a fair pay offer, EIS-FELA members across Scotland’s 26 colleges are continuing their campaign of industrial action to secure the pay award that they deserve.

As the SEJ goes to print, EIS-FELA members have already taken five days of strike action, alongside action short of strike (ASOS) in the form of a resulting boycott. Despite an apparent lack of willingness from college employers to settle the dispute, EIS-FELA members are remaining resolute, with a new strike action programme agreed by the EIS-FELA executive in order to respond to what could be a long fi ght for fair pay.

SEJ readers may remember that the EIS-FELA pay claim was submitted to the employers, at the NJNC, in June 2021. Despite a stated willingness in that claim to settle the dispute early and a warning of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis now taking hold, negotiations have been frustrating and protracted, with college employers seemingly unwilling to make an offer that recognises the efforts of lecturers over the course of the pandemic.

Evidence of college employers’ hard ball tactics can be found in the course of negotiations, at NJNC, itself – with the employers either failing to return to the table with anything new to offer, or only offering the most marginal of improvements on offers already rejected by EIS-FELA negotiators. At every stage, it has been EIS-FELA that has requested further discussions in order to fi nd a way to end the dispute and halt the damaging impact of industrial action on both students and lecturers. However, it seems that college employers have made a decision to take on EIS-FELA, as opposed to taking a constructive approach to industrial relations.

Taking industrial action is unfortunately not new to EIS-FELA members, with only one pay award made during the lifetime of the NJNC without action being taken. In the same timescale, EIS-FELA members have taken action to establish national bargaining, to defend it and also against moves to replace the role of the lecturer with instructor positions last year. This cycle is evidence of a culture existing amongst college employers that gives nothing to their hard-working employees without a fi ght; a throwback to a bygone era of industrial relations, and a road block to genuine collaboration and collegiality between the employers and EIS-FELA.

At picket lines across the country, EIS-FELA members have stood union strong in their fight for fair pay, as well as engaging with union meetings online. On Thursday 12th May, EIS-FELA members from across the country, who took a further day of strike action that day, travelled to the Scottish Parliament to rally in support of their campaign, calling on politicians, in and out of government, to show solidarity for hard working college lecturers.

Over the course of the pandemic, college lecturers stood up and delivered. Despite facing the challenges that we all faced in those extremely difficult times, they adapted well to virtual delivery and worked tirelessly to ensure that college students continued to receive the highest levels of teaching and learning. It was college lecturers that carried the further education sector through the pandemic, and they deserve a pay award that recognises these efforts.

Alongside the campaign of strike action, EIS-FELA members are undertaking a resulting boycott in response to inaction from their employers. This action short of strike (ASOS) is now being escalated to a full withdrawal of goodwill that will significantly impact the ability of colleges to carry out their day-to-day activities. Like their colleagues in the school sector, college lecturers routinely go above and beyond their contractual terms and conditions to deliver for students. The withdrawal of goodwill, that will come into force in late May, will expose just how much college employers rely on the commitment of their lecturing workforce and will be yet further evidence that college lecturers will simply no longer be taken for granted.

As the SEJ goes to print, college employers continue to play hard ball; refusing to meet until the employers’ association has further discussions at an already scheduled meeting and with no guarantee of further talks at NJNC. College Principals and their boards of management must take this dispute seriously, avoid further disruption in the further education sector and commit to returning their negotiators to talks ready to make an acceptable offer. College lecturers and their students deserve better form their employers.

One thing, however, is abundantly clear as this dispute continues; that EIS-FELA members remain union strong and committed to seeing through their fight for fair pay. With a new programme of strike action that responds to their employers’ tactic of dragging things out, an escalation of ASOS to withdrawal of goodwill and a resulting boycott that will begin to cause significant disruption in the coming weeks, EIS-FELA members will seek to exert the maximum amount of pressure on their employers. Through their unity, solidarity and commitment to win, EIS-FELA members will continue the fight for fair pay.