News Release 22 June 2011
Telford College lecturers to strike in defence of jobs
Lecturers at Edinburgh’s Telford College will today (Wednesday) embark on a programme of industrial action in defence of jobs. The college management is planning to axe around 50 full time jobs, including 25 full time lecturing posts.
In addition, the college are terminating the employment of 68 staff employed on temporary contracts.
Staff believe that the scale of cuts is so severe that this will have a serious impact on the breadth of education provision that can be provided to the community, and will heap additional workload on staff and damage the educational experience for students.
In a recent ballot of lecturing staff at the college, organised by the EIS, 90% of lecturers voted for a programme of industrial action to fight the job cuts.
Lecturers will now embark on strike action, with the first day of action set for today (Wednesday), 22 June. A further fifty days of strike action have also been approved, and are set to continue following the college’s summer break.
Commenting on the strike action, EIS General Secretary Ronnie Smith said, "Lecturing staff at Edinburgh’s Telford College are taking this strike action as a last resort in their struggle to save jobs and protect the services that can be offered to the community and the quality of education for students.
Lecturers are not taking this action lightly, and are doing so with a heavy heart as their top priority is always the quality of education that they offer to all students.
However, the scale of the college management’s planned job cuts is so severe that lecturers feel they have no option but to stand up for their jobs and for the educational needs of their students.
Even at this late stage, the EIS remains open to further discussion with college management as to how compulsory redundancies can be avoided.”
(ENDS)
For further information, please contact:
Brian Cooper (EIS Media & Comms) on 0131 225 6244 or bcooper@eis.org.uk
Results of the recent industrial action ballot and a list of the planned strike days are attached for your information.
Result of industrial action ballot at Edinburgh's Telford College
Total number of votes cast: 117
Number voting "Yes”: 105 (89.7% of the valid vote)
Number voting "No”: 12 (10.3% of the valid vote)
Spoiled papers: 0
Agreed strike days at Edinburgh's Telford College
• Wednesday 22 June 2011.
• Thursday 18 August 2011.
• Tuesday 23 and Thursday 25 August 2011
• Wednesday 31 August and Thursday 1 September 2011
• Tuesday 6, Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 September 2011
• Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 September 2011
• Tuesday 20, Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 September 2011
• Tuesday 27, Wednesday 28 and Thursday 29 September 2011
• Tuesday 4, Wednesday 5 and Thursday 6 October 2011
• Tuesday 11, Wednesday 12 and Thursday 13 October 2011
• Tuesday 25, Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 October 2011
• Tuesday 1, Wednesday 2 and Thursday 3 November 2011
• Tuesday 8, Wednesday 9 and Thursday 10 November 2011
• Tuesday 15, Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 November 2011
• Tuesday 22, Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 November 2011
• Tuesday 29, Wednesday 30 November and Thursday 1 December 2011
• Tuesday 6, Wednesday 7 and Thursday 8 December 2011
• Tuesday 13, Wednesday 14 and Thursday 15 December 2011
• Tuesday 20, Wednesday 21 and Thursday 22 December 2011
