If there is one thing Scotland’s colleges need right now it’s a period of calm stability.
Since a raft of mergers nearly a decade ago which saw the number of colleges fall from 37 to 20 the sector has been buffeted from one crisis to another.
When the plans were announced, the Scottish Government said mergers would deliver £50m of savings each year and bring other benefits such as reduced duplication, better engagement with employers and improved outcomes for students.
READ MORE:Scottish college cuts jobs to plug £1m deficit
However, a report by Audit Scotland in 2015 suggested savings had come not from the benefits of mergers themselves, but simply because there had been a significant reduction in the number of teaching staff.
And the spending watchdog also said there was no evidence restructuring had led to wider financial savings or educational improvements.
A follow-up report in 2018 said the savings generated by mergers would be absorbed by higher wages for lecturers, which came as a result of a pay harmonisation exercise to ensure staff in different parts of Scotland enjoyed the same salaries and conditions.
In a significant breakthrough, that agreement saw lecturers paid a top salary of more than £40,000, but in order to secure it lecturers took part in a series of disruptive strikes.
READ MORE:College staff accept pay deal after walkouts
Soon after that deal was delivered, lecturers went back out on strike to secure an additional increase in wages to reflect the rising cost of living since harmonisation.
Throughout this difficult period college management warned they did not think the pay deal was affordable without significant additional funding from the Scottish Government because of other pressures, including rising pension costs.
Although lecturers are now back at work, the last few days have seen the simmering tensions over cost pressures begin to surface.
Earlier this week, unions at Glasgow Kelvin College lodged a grievance with management over the termination of staff contracts. Now Glasgow Clyde College is the latest to threaten jobs, arguing financial pressures have finally forced their hand.
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