Dundee & Angus College to be hit by strike action next week

The latest round of industrial action will see local strikes across Scotland between October 4 and 12. This comes after more than 2000 support staff took to the picket lines on September 7 in a dispute over pay, terms, and conditions.

That national strike day has been followed by a rolling programme of localised action in colleges across the country, which the union is stepping up.

College employers issued a pay offer at the end of May which the union said came with a very clear threat of compulsory redundancies for college support staff. Despite four dispute meetings, the involvement of ACAS and two proposals to resolve the dispute, no agreement has been reached.

Chris Greenshields, UNISON further education branch secretary, said: “With the pay award now over a year late you might think the Scottish Government would step in to resolve the issue. Unfortunately, we have a minister who is refusing to deal with the single biggest issue facing the sector in years and saying he is unable or unwilling to get involved. College staff, students, politicians and members of the public are wondering what else can be more important than this for the Minister for Further & Higher Education.

"This needs urgent government involvement now."

UNISON further education branch chair Collette Bradley added: “Graeme Dey needs to step up and use the influence and powers that he has available to him. We are asking publicly what the Minister intends to do about the failure of employers to act in accordance with Fair Work principles such as job security, or, is Fair Work nothing more than a cheap sound bite?"