Mass Meeting of Central Glasgow EIS-FELA Branches

Over 150 members attended the mass meeting of Central Glasgow EIS-FELA Branches on Thursday 17 June 2010.

Speeches were given by the EIS-FELA President Alan Ferguson, Vice President Penny Gower and the Branch Secretaries from the four central Glasgow Colleges with Jim O’Donovan also speaking for the EIS-FELA Executive. Full time officials, Area Officer Frank Healy and National Officer Belsey gave members updates on the progress of negotiations and the national perspective.

An additional hour was then spent hearing the views of and answering queries from members.

All speakers spoke of the lack of educational rationale driving this merger, the size of the bureaucracy involved in the proposed college’s management, the lack of a no compulsory redundancies guarantee and doubts if the £300m offered by the Scottish Government will ever be spent on the proposed new college.

Concerns were raised regarding the position of Stow College which is not part of the merger process, yet a significant proportion of its SUMs seem to be part of the proposed new college’s SUMs delivery. Concern was also raised about the SFC exercising its role for the first time to coordinate FE curriculum throughout Glasgow.

A number of views were expressed from the floor. The overwhelming feeling of the members was that the need for the merger had not been proven and that the way in which it was being managed had soured support from some members who were initially pre-disposed towards the proposed merger.

The unfairness of having different pay and conditions of service for teaching staff within the same college were emphasised, examples were cited from the floor including one of two lecturers sitting next to each other who worked at Met who did the same work but were paid different amounts and had different holidays.

Members were pleased to hear of the progress of negotiations between the Shadow Board and the negotiating team from the three central Glasgow EIS-FELA Branches supported by Frank Healy. However there was a clear feeling that a "line needs to be drawn in the sand” if negotiations fail to secure complete harmonisation without detriment.

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The Current EIS-FELA Strategy for dealing with the proposed City of Glasgow College

The EIS-FELA strategy for dealing with the proposed City of Glasgow College is based on the motions passed at its 2010 Annual Conference.

These are:
1. "That this Annual Conference notes that the teaching staff of GCNS, CCG and Glasgow Metropolitan College have received no assurance that the proposed merger of those colleges will not result in compulsory redundancies and calls upon the Executive to co-ordinate requests for ballots on industrial action in all 3 colleges if no satisfactory assurance has been given by the end of April 2010.”

2. "That this Annual Conference notes that the teaching staff of GCNS, CCG and Glasgow Metropolitan College have received no assurance that harmonisation of salaries and conditions of service on the basis of best practice will be agreed prior to the vestment date of the proposed "New College Glasgow” and calls upon the Executive to co-ordinate requests for ballots on industrial action in all 3 colleges if no satisfactory assurance has been given by the end of April 2010.”

Therefore, this conference instructs the Executive to publicly state its opposition to the proposals and to contact EIS Council requesting that a campaign to advise the Education Minister and all MSPs of this view be organised without delay.”

In actioning the Annual Conference Resolutions the EIS-FELA Executive has:

1. Highlighted the lack of a convincing education rationale in the national press and by writing a model letter for MSPs.

2. Written to the Shadow Chair of the Board of Management for the proposed new College outlining the reasons why the EIS-FELA Executive does not support the merger at this time. This letter was copied to the Cabinet Secretary, and was featured on page 1 of the Glasgow Herald.

3. Written to the SFC to outline the EIS-FELA concerns regarding the sustainability of Stow College if SUMS are arbitrarily transferred from it to the proposed new College.

4. Set up a Campaigns Committee to review progress of the merger and to aid coordination in EIS-FELA’s response to the merger. The mass meeting of Central Glasgow EIS-FELA Branches was arranged by the Glasgow EIS Area office at the request of the Campaigns Committee. 

5. Asked the EIS General Secretary to urge the Cabinet Secretary for Education to withhold giving approval to the proposed college, on educational grounds and because of the uncertainty around Stow College.

Ronnie Smith, General Secretary has written to the Cabinet Secretary urging him to withhold his approval for the merger and asked that Stow be part of the merger process so that it can participate in the way in which its own SUMS are delivered either within or outwith the merger process. read more.

6. Written a detailed response to Scottish Funding Council for the SFC Consultation on the Glasgow Curriculum, which can be found here.

The Central Glasgow EIS-FELA Branches also act with the Area Office

A working group of the three branches involved in the merger, supported by Frank Healy was formed as soon as the proposed college began the formation process, albeit without any ministerial approval.

Representatives from EIS-FELA Stow College also attended an internal meeting of this group. This working group is carrying out the ‘Harmonisation’ negotiations on behalf of the three EIS-FELA branches, and has reached agreement on the RPA, Discipline and Grievance procedures.

Some other terms and conditions are close to agreement, however major issues remain, particularly class contact. No agreement has yet been ‘signed off’ by the EIS with regard to the proposed college.

Stow College
  
The EIS Area Office and Stow College EIS-FELA Branch have also been putting the pressure on the SFC to ensure the sustainability of Stow College if the proposed new college is formed and takes some of Stow College’s SUMs.

As a result of this Mark Batho, Chief Executive of the SFC met with members at Stow College and later wrote to ‘confirm’ the following:
•    (Glasgow College Merger) this is about transfer of provision not about cuts;
•    changes will not take place in the next academic year 2010-11;
•    we, Stow College and the proposed City of Glasgow College, will be using the next academic year to plan any transfer of provision so that there is minimal disruption for students and staff;
•    there will be an appropriate consultation with staff about any transfers;
•    staff and students who transfer to the proposed new college will be accommodated in its buildings on Cathedral Street and Riverside; and
•    we do not anticipate any changes to the level of provision currently delivered by Stow College (beyond sector-wide changes to overall funding for the sector) until provision transfers to the proposed City of Glasgow College.

The EIS has always been keen that Stow College be part of the merger process so that it can defend its interests directly and make effective representations on its own behalf.

This does not mean that EIS-FELA necessarily believes that Stow College should be part of the proposed college.

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Redundancies

A key issue for the EIS-FELA has been that the proposed merger does not result in any compulsory redundancies.

Paul Little, Principal Designate of City of Glasgow College, has stated in the Glasgow Herald of 14 February 2010 that with regard to the three colleges within the proposed merger that "I don’t foresee compulsory redundancies.”

Principal Little has refused to make a written commitment to EIS-FELA negotiators regarding no compulsory redundancies.

Mark Batho, Chief Executive SFC, has given assurances that the SFC is looking at ways to ensure that staff who deliver SUMs that are transferred from Stow College would transfer to the proposed new college with the SUMs.

Whilst the EIS-FELA Executive notes these assurances and that the SFC is looking at ways to protect Stow staff, it still seeks definitive commitments from the SFC and City of Glasgow College of no compulsory redundancies.

The EIS-FELA Strategy

EIS-FELA Strategy is determined by the EIS-FELA Executive, which is directly elected from the EIS-FELA membership.

The EIS-FELA meeting of 18 June 2010 decided to:

1. Repeat the General Secretary’s call for the Cabinet Secretary to withhold approval for the proposed City of Glasgow College.

2. Hold a Glasgow City Centre demonstration on Saturday 11 September 2010 to protest against the merger.

3. Develop model letters explaining why EIS-FELA is unconvinced for the need of a merger.

4. Engage with the media to explain why EIS-FELA is unconvinced for the need of a merger.

5. Coordinate any requests for industrial action from the EIS-FELA branches at Central, GCNS and Metropolitan Colleges if the harmonisation negotiations fail.

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