Forth Valley College staff taking industrial action

Workers at Forth Valley College are taking action short of strike.

Some staff are being docked pay - with the college saying they "cannot accept the risks" of another boycott.

It follows a dispute over pay and jobs between employers and the EIS-FELA trade union.

The union says colleges across the country are "intimidating" lecturers.

Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “The actions of Scotland’s colleges are reprehensible, and are drawn straight from the anti-trade union playbook so beloved by hard right-wing regimes and enabled by the UK government’s regressive anti-trade union laws. Colleges are public sector employers, and the Scottish Government has repeatedly pledged that the UK government’s oppressive anti-trade union laws should never be deployed to bully and browbeat public sector employees in Scotland. The fact that Scotland’s college employers are now colluding to use anti-trade union laws to further inflame this long-running dispute, rather than working collectively to reach a fair solution, is a mark of shame for Scotland’s college sector employers and, by extension, the Scottish Government.”

A spokesperson for Forth Valley College, said: “It is deeply regrettable that the EIS-FELA is once again calling on lecturers to take part in a resulting boycott that could cause significant disruption to student outcomes.

“Deducting pay from staff is never a measure that colleges want to take. However, we simply cannot accept the risks that another resulting boycott would create for the awarding of qualifications, and the ability of students to progress in their learning journeys and careers.

“Our aim, as always, during this period of industrial action will be to minimise the impact on learning and teaching, where possible, and continue to deliver the best possible learning experiences for our students whilst a resolution is found for this national dispute.