FIFE COLLEGE could be set for further disruption with more staff urged to vote in favour of going out on strike.

Members of the Further Education Lecturers' Association (EIS-FELA) began 14 discontinuous days of industrial action yesterday (Wednesday).

There was an official picket line at the Dunfermline campus – this was replicated at colleges across the country – and they could soon be joined by members of Unison Scotland.

It has notified principals formally of its intention to ballot for industrial action on pay, after 92 per cent of its members rejected the employers’ final offer.

The official ballot is due to open on Wednesday and it will be the first national strike vote in further education for six years.

However, the employers say there's no more money and the lecturers are already "by far the best paid in the UK".

Collette Bradley, chair of Unison's further education branch, said: "The final pay offer for college staff fails to protect the most vulnerable from the ravages of inflation and rising costs.

"Nor does it compensate them for efforts throughout the pandemic to keep colleges operational, whether that be in the form of opening and cleaning buildings or turning their homes into workplaces.

"There has been no compensation paid to home-workers to date."

Unison said it wants a "fair" deal for staff and that with inflation reaching a 30-year high, the employers' offer would constitute "a significant real-terms pay cut".

Talks are set to continue but Chris Greenshields, secretary of the further education branch, added: “The college employers' approach is staggering.

"All unions in the college sector are now in dispute on pay.

"Staff deserved a pay rise to meet inflation by September 2021 and the employers are now seven months late.

"Despite a couple of hours of informal talks there has been little progress. This is immensely frustrating and questions the employers’ desire to resolve this dispute.

"Our members need a proper pay rise now. Support staff in colleges are struggling with record rising cost of living and the least they should expect is some more urgency from the employers to address this.”

Earlier this week, Gavin Donoghue, director of College Employers Scotland, said it was "disappointing" that EIS-FELA had decided to strike.

He said: “The original offer to lecturers included a £150 one-off payment, recognising their contributions during the pandemic and, along with the £850 consolidated payment in recognition of the work done throughout the pandemic, was a higher pay offer than that already made to, and accepted by, teachers, civil servants, police and fire service.

“This pay offer would ensure Scotland’s lecturers remain by far the best paid in the UK and continue to enjoy the best terms and conditions in the four nations.

“In a final attempt to avert industrial action, College Employers Scotland offered an additional £50 to the one-off payment to stop strike action going ahead, which was rejected.

“Our offer is in fact beyond what colleges can afford, we have pushed our resources to the maximum because we value the work that lecturers do and wish to avoid further disruption to our students.

“Colleges are already in deficit by £5.7 million and the sector is facing a real-terms cut in funding of £51.9m this autumn.

"Strike action will not result in an increased offer – there simply isn’t any more funding that colleges can put forward."