A RESOLUTION has been reached in the long-running industrial dispute at City of Glasgow College.
Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland – Further Education Lecturers Association (EIS-FELA) backed the resolution in a ballot which closed on Friday.
The deal means that no compulsory redundancies will take place, and staff who were previously made redundant will be offered the opportunity to return or to receive voluntary severance.
An overwhelming 86% of members voting in the ballot backed the agreement reached between the EIS and the college.
Charlie Montgomery, EIS-FELA branch convener at City of Glasgow College, said: "We are obviously delighted that this dispute has been brought to an end without the unnecessary compulsory redundancies originally demanded by the college.
READ MORE: Incredible full clip of BBC presenter's 'middle finger' countdown released
“We hope, going forward, the college will recognise the need to abide by the principles of 'Fair Work' and no longer try to enforce upon staff, changes in their employment status, or terms and conditions without proper negotiations with recognised trade unions.
“It is to be hoped, with proper governance put in place and the adoption of a collegiate attitude, City of Glasgow College can look forward to a more stable period of industrial relations that should benefit staff and students alike.”
Commenting on the ballot result, EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said: “This very clear ballot result brings the programme of industrial action at City of Glasgow College to an end.
“EIS-FELA members at the college are to be commended for the strong stance they have taken in defence of lecturing jobs and quality education provision at the college.
READ MORE: New BBC chairman approved by MPs despite 'serious reservations'
“It has been a long and difficult struggle which has taken its toll on lecturers and students alike, but it was a price worth paying to fight job and course cuts and to protect education for today’s and tomorrow’s students at the college.”
The dispute first began over cuts to teaching time, workload increases, the ending of fixed term contracts and compulsory redundancies.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here