Staff at City of Glasgow College have announced a new round of strikes as they seek to stop the cutting of up to 100 jobs.
The college says it and other institutions are facing "substantial funding and financial challenges", particularly after the Scottish Government reversed a pledge to provide £26m in funding to further education.
Members of the EIS-FELA union have been in dispute with City of Glasgow College since February due to the proposed cuts, increased workloads for lecturers, reduced face to face contact time for students and two rounds of redundancies - one of which will be compulsory.
Lecturers, parents and pupils have also expressed concerns at plans to cut funding for staff on additional support needs courses.
The union has announced a new round of strikes for September as the new academic term begins.
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EIS-FELA members in the college will be on strike 5-8th; 11-14th; 19-21st; and 26-29th September.
EIS general secretary, Andrea Bradley, said, “City of Glasgow is still a public sector, publicly funded college and as part of the funding arrangements the College must be able to demonstrate a commitment to Fair Work. The complete opposite is true here.
"We have long-standing concerns over a culture of bullying of staff in this College, as evidenced by a survey the EIS-FELA branch carried out last year.
"It has so far been clear that the College’s senior leadership team aims to steamroller ahead with cuts and redundancies in their usual style: authoritarian, flippant towards staff concerns and student needs, and contemptuous of trade unions.
"This has directly resulted in the protracted dispute that we are about to see continue at a time when students should be able to make positive starts to the new academic year.
"That no one has yet been served notice of compulsory redundant despite the College’s intention to do so on 18th June is testament to the hard work of the EIS-FELA reps and our members’ resolve.
"Nonetheless, we are calling on the Scottish Government to intervene urgently in this dispute to protect jobs and the quality and continuity of education provision in the College, including for those with additional support needs.
"We want the College to sign up to a bespoke Fair Work agreement in order that there can be a joint review of the processes followed to date and to set the tone for a new culture moving forward.
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"The best interests of the students and staff of City of Glasgow College must be the top priority.”
City of Glasgow College has been contacted for comment.
Previously a spokesperson told The Herald: “All Scottish colleges face substantial funding and financial challenges from real-terms cuts, plus rising energy, inflation and staff costs.
"The claw back of £26 million that had been promised to the college sector in the recent Scottish Government budget exacerbates an already challenging financial landscape for the College.
"The college budget allocation is a flat cash settlement but with inflation running at 10%, this is a significant and unsustainable 10% real terms cut, which has unfortunately left us with no option other than bringing forward proposals for compulsory redundancies, which are subject to ongoing consultation.
“The national EIS-FELA body has been demonstrating outside the Scottish Parliament and has called on the Scottish Government to fix the national crisis affecting colleges, so they recognise it is a national issue.
"It doesn’t make any sense to go out on local strikes on a national funding issue as it can’t change anything. Fortunately, 70% of our lecturers are putting students first by continuing to work, which is minimising the disruption to students, and the College remains open throughout the strike action.”
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