Scottish college lecturers accept pay offer to end 'long and difficult' dispute

A long-running dispute between Scotland’s college lecturers and management is on the brink of a resolution after staff voted overwhelmingly to accept a new pay offer.

It was announced on Friday that union members had voted by 95 per cent in favour of agreeing to the improved terms, with 5 per cent voting to reject. The turnout was 84 per cent.

A fresh wave of strikes in colleges was suspended at the 11th hour earlier this month after a new offer was tabled.

It came just days after Further Education Minister Graeme Dey said the two sides were “nowhere near” a resolution.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said its members in the EIS Further Education Lecturers’ Association (EIS-Fela) had backed the proposal in a ballot which closed on Friday.

It has now suspended all industrial action across Scotland, including a resulting boycott, pending the expected ratification of the agreement early next week.

EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley | Contributed

EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said: “Our members in the further education sector have delivered a very clear ballot result today, voting overwhelmingly in favour of accepting the improved pay offer from college employers.

“The offer delivers pay certainty and stability for our members for this year and next, together with backdated pay settlements for the past two years.

“Additionally, there is an obligation on college employers to repay any salary that was ‘deemed’, that is to say deducted, from lecturers engaged in action short of strike during this dispute.

“The agreement also includes assurances in relation to no compulsory redundancies as a result of this deal.”

The agreement follows a two-year dispute and will conclude the outstanding pay claims for years 2022/2023, and 2023-2024, plus a pay settlement for the current year, 2024/2025, and next year, 2025/2026.

Ms Bradley added: “This has been a very long and difficult campaign, with EIS-Fela members forced to engage in a long-running programme of industrial action to secure a fair pay settlement from college employers and assurance that this will not come at the cost of jobs.

“It is by standing together, through their union, that our members have achieved success in the campaign for a fair pay settlement from college employers.

“This dispute really did not have to go on for as long as it did, as colleges could have shown far more urgency in delivering a fair offer and the Scottish Government could have stepped in earlier to facilitate an improved settlement with the injection of additional funding, and, importantly, taking a firm stance against deeming.”

Gavin Donoghue, director of College Employers Scotland, said: “Employers are pleased to see the EIS-Fela’s members overwhelming acceptance of this substantial pay offer, and the end of this long-running industrial dispute.

“This pay award delivers a starting salary for lecturers of nearly £42,000 from September 2025, with the average lecturer salary increasing to more than £50,000.

“This means that lecturers in Scotland will continue to enjoy the best pay and conditions of any college lecturers across the UK.

“The goal of employers throughout the current dispute has been to secure a pay settlement that is fair and affordable, while protecting the interests of students. Now that all industrial action is suspended, it is imperative that any boycotted student results are entered into college systems without delay.

“With industrial action now at an end, colleges hope to be able to fully concentrate on providing the world-class educational experience their students deserve.”