Comment on EIS-FELA Ballot Result
Commenting on the EIS-FELA ballot which closed this week (Thursday, 13 April 2023), Gavin Donoghue, Director of College Employers Scotland, said:
“It is deeply disappointing that the EIS-FELA has voted to take strike action and action short of strike action. If this action goes ahead, it will inevitably cause disruption to students, particularly as they begin preparing for exams and assessments.
“The current EIS-FELA claim for a £5,000 pay increase for lecturers would cost colleges more than £37million a year and would increase a lecturer’s salary at the start of the pay scale by over 14% to more than £40,000 a year.
“The current employers’ pay offer of a 2% pay increase for lecturers is at the limit of what colleges can afford. Colleges nationally are receiving flat cash funding from the Scottish Government. At the same time, costs are increasing significantly, including energy bills and other running costs.
“Nevertheless, employers are committed to seeking imaginative, flexible solutions that will allow us to secure an agreement with trade unions so that lecturers can continue delivering a world-class learning experience to our students.”
“It is deeply disappointing that the EIS-FELA has voted to take strike action and action short of strike action. If this action goes ahead, it will inevitably cause disruption to students, particularly as they begin preparing for exams and assessments.
“The current EIS-FELA claim for a £5,000 pay increase for lecturers would cost colleges more than £37million a year and would increase a lecturer’s salary at the start of the pay scale by over 14% to more than £40,000 a year.
“The current employers’ pay offer of a 2% pay increase for lecturers is at the limit of what colleges can afford. Colleges nationally are receiving flat cash funding from the Scottish Government. At the same time, costs are increasing significantly, including energy bills and other running costs.
“Nevertheless, employers are committed to seeking imaginative, flexible solutions that will allow us to secure an agreement with trade unions so that lecturers can continue delivering a world-class learning experience to our students.”
