UPDATE: EIS college strikes suspended after 'progress' made in pay dispute

LECTURERS at the West College Scotland Clydebank campus will not receive their wages from today as part of an ongoing national dispute about pay.

Bosses at the college say they will withhold the pay of the EIS-FELA members who have failed to enter students' results into the recording system.

The union [Educational Institute of Scotland] previously announced the results of the boycott as part of the nationwide dispute about pay.

A pay rise of £5,000 over three years was put forward by College Employers Scotland back in June.

This was agreed with the support staff trade unions [UNISON, Unite and GMB] after it was accepted in official ballots.

However, the pay dispute with the EIS-FELA is continuing after it tabled a revised pay claim.

This included a fourth academic year [2025/26] with college employers proposing a 3 per cent pay rise during this period.

READ MORE: Contract awarded to deliver new wheelie bins in West Dunbartonshire

Susan Ferrie, EIS Clydebank campus secretary for West College Scotland, said: "The college is deeming us 100 per cent of wages because we are withholding the results when providing results is not 100 per cent of the work we carry out.

"They are [West College Scotland] stopping people from getting educated due to the fact they are deeming lecturing staff.

"It mains they have basically told us currently that if we come to work then we will not be getting paid.

"The deeming is a local dispute but we are not the only college that has been affected.

"Certain principals have made the decision not to pay their staff.

"The whole point of a lecturer's job is to help educate and nurture students.

"No lecturer wants to put a barrier up for any student. How can the college say we are 'willfully withholding our labour' when inputting results is such a small part our job?"

"Staff are essentially being asked not to return to work."

A spokesperson for West College Scotland said: “West College’s priority is to provide an excellent learning experience for all our students.

"In an effort to minimise any negative impact and encourage positive action, we have repeatedly communicated to our curriculum staff and trade union representatives that participating in a resulting boycott is an unacceptable partial performance and that nobody can expect to be paid if they wilfully withhold their labour.

"This current resulting boycott, by a minority of our teaching staff, is extremely disruptive to students’, with some now possibly unable to progress onto employment, on to further study, or in the case of apprentices to get the pay increases they’re due.

“We very much hope that an agreement to end the national dispute driving this current resulting boycott, and which is out of our control to resolve locally, is reached soon – allowing our lecturing staff to get the pay settlement they deserve, and allowing us to once again collectively focus all of our energies into delivering the best experience for our students.”