Classes at further education centres across Dundee, Perth and Fife were disrupted on Thursday morning as a result of a lecturers strike.
Members of the EIS union walked out at institutions across Scotland, with dozens of lecturers standing at pickets outside Courier Country colleges including Fife, Dundee and Angus, and Perth UHI.
EIS (Educational Institute of Scotland) members held the action after college management apparently failed to honour a pay deal which was reached early last year.
Sara O’Hagan, EIS branch secretary for Perth UHI said: “We recognise that taking industrial action is a last resort and we have tried everything we can to avoid this however we feel that we need to do this to get management to honour the deal they made more than a year ago.”
In Fife, dozens of EIS member lecturers staged a picket outside Fife College campus in Kirkcaldy, as part of Thursday’s industrial action.
Fife branch secretary Alison Davidson said: “We were promised that pay would be brought into line with colleges throughout Scotland.
“We deal with some of the most vulnerable students in the country here and we want to be teaching them, not standing outside.”
Dundee and Angus College Principal Grant Ritchie said: “While we hope a satisfactory agreement will be met soon, we were forced to cancel classes on the day of the strike.”
“We did however keep our libraries and learning centres open for private study. It is really disappointing to have to take this action so close to the exam season.
“With the introduction of national collective bargaining unions now negotiate with Colleges Scotland Employers’ Association and not the individual colleges. D&A College continues to enjoy excellent relations with unions representing both support and academic staff.”
A Perth UHI spokesperson said: “The university and our partners are working together to ensure any disruption is minimised and to ensure that students and staff are informed about any arrangements.”
A spokesperson for the Colleges Scotland Employers’ Association (CSEA) said: “It is hugely disappointing that the EIS is taking strike action that will affect college students at this critical time.
“Colleges across Scotland are doing everything they can to minimise the disruption to students, who are currently preparing for their exams and finishing coursework.
“The strike is completely unnecessary and inappropriate at a time when we are currently engaged in Acas talks with the EIS to try and resolve this dispute.
“Harmonisation of pay and conditions is a complex process that requires compromise, not strikes and disruption.
“The EIS should call an end to this unnecessary industrial action, get back round the negotiation table with employers and allow students to get on with their studies.”
