The stakes are high in the current campaign of industrial action by Scottish college lecturers in the EIS-Fela union and support staff in Unison and Unite unions. We are fighting for a pay rise that won’t leave us worse off in the face of eye-watering inflation.

That’s an especially raw issue after we worked ourselves harder than ever during Covid measures. In addition, we now face “reforms” that will increase private sector involvement and we have compulsory redundancies across colleges.

We had the first ever joint strike day in Scottish FE on Thursday of last week. More than 2,000 staff from the three unions took part in the action. There was a massive rally at the Scottish parliament coinciding with the initial First Minister’s Questions of the new parliamentary session.

It was clear from speakers at this rally that the depth of anger has deepened in response to the £26 million Scottish Government cuts and compulsory redundancy threats. Glasgow college workers have launched 15 days of strikes against the threat of 100 redundancies. 

Edinburgh college is close to an all-out strike against the sacking of trade union rep Kevin Scally. The need to defend education for working class communities was key to many of the speeches at the rally. 

The bosses are playing hardball. But our continuing action, including rolling action and action targeted in Scottish Government education ministers’ constituencies, is putting them under pressure. When we have lecturers and support staff and students chanting,

“The workers united will never be defeated”, then they should be worried. Over the course of September and early October, members of the EIS-Fela will take one day of national action. 

This will be followed by rolling action and then three days of targeted action in the constituencies of the First Minister, the Deputy First Minister, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and the Minster for Further Education.

More sustained action and escalation coupled with clear political messages to the Scottish government can give us a real chance of winning. The very future of public further education is at stake. 

Send a message of protest to Edinburgh College’s principal at Audrey.Cumberford@edinburghcollege.ac.uk. Copy in the EIS-Fela branch secretary, pennygower1@gmail.com
Send messages of support via twitter.com/edincol-eisfela