Minister accused of ‘lack of action’ in colleges dispute

The Scottish Government has been accused of failing to intervene in a college sector pay dispute.

Scottish Labour education spokeswoman Pam Duncan-Glancy has written to Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth to demand she puts “an end to the sector’s crisis” and instructs further education minister Graeme Dey to “step up”.

The long-running pay dispute dates back to 2022 and has involved strike days, including in May and June.

Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland Further Education Lecturers’ Association said in June further talks did not resolve the dispute.

Ms Duncan-Glancy accused Mr Dey of causing “chaos” and “wilfully standing by as industrial relations weaken by the day”.

She claimed Mr Dey had failed to “engage meaningfully” with the sector, and added: “The situation is untenable and must be resolved.”

She wrote: “Colleges are stretched, forced to do more with less for their students, and college teaching staff face deepening job insecurity, all because of chronic underfunding by this Scottish Government.

“The minister’s lack of action is predicated on a statement in the Strathesk Report that advises against Government intervention, indeed in his own words, the minister told the (Holyrood) chamber in May this year, ‘the Strathesk Resolutions report was clear that Scottish Government interventions in previous industrial disputes in the sector have not been helpful’.

“However, what the minister fails to grasp is that the Strathesk Report states this in the context of late Government intervention. He is hiding behind a report, and colleges, staff and students are being let down.

“Your Government should have stepped in long ago, but this situation has developed and deepened over years of inaction.

“There appears to be no end in sight for the college dispute. So, I have to ask, if not now, when will the Government consider it an appropriate time to intervene?”

She said the situation is creating “distress for staff and disruption for students”.

Ms Duncan-Glancy added: “I must warn that if the Government does not intervene, it does so in the knowledge that students’ education will continue to be impacted, and industrial relations between college staff and college employers will continue to deteriorate.

“The Government has a key role to play in resolving this dispute since it is the Government that is ultimately responsible for the sector, its sustainability and for the education of its students.

“I, therefore, feel compelled to write to you today on behalf of the entire college sector, to ask whether you will put an end to the sector’s crisis and instruct your minister for higher and further education to step up, step in, act like a Government working for Scotland and resolve the college dispute.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Responsibility for these negotiations quite rightly rests with the National Joint Negotiating Committee.

“The further education minister has engaged with both trade unions and college employers on multiple occasions to encourage progress towards a resolution of the dispute. The Scottish Government will continue this engagement as both parties work to reach a settlement which is fair and affordable.

“While the 2024-25 Budget is the most challenging to be delivered under devolution, we have protected investment in the college sector as far as possible, with more than £750 million to support their delivery of high quality education and training.”