EIS welcomes ruling in Forth Valley College dispute that will 'protect role of lecturers'

Created on: 24 Jun 2021 | Last modified: 10 Aug 2021

The EIS  has welcomed the ruling by the National Joint Negotiating Committee (NJNC) which has found that posts at Forth Valley College that led to a long-running dispute are, indeed, lecturing posts and therefore subject to lecturers’ terms and conditions.

The EIS had been in dispute with management at Forth Valley College over the downgrading of these posts.

In a move to resolve the protracted dispute between Forth Valley College and the EIS, which included industrial action short of strike action and strike action, a Joint Referral was made to the NJNC (the collective bargaining machinery of Scottish colleges and staff) for it to determine as to whether the ‘instructor-assessor’ posts at the college were lecturers in line with NJNC agreements, or not. Both the EIS and Forth Valley College agreed that the determination would be binding.

Larry Flanagan, EIS General Secretary said, “The EIS welcomes this finding by the NJNC, in a ruling that protects lecturers’ jobs, pay and conditions. Our members at the EIS-FELA Forth Valley branch should be commended for the stance they have taken in defence of lecturing jobs and the right of those performing the role of lecturers to be paid fairly and to enjoy appropriate conditions of service.

"We also welcome that the college has accepted this ruling, that the instructor-assessor post has been removed from the college structure, and that the affected members of staff will be reinstated as lecturers.”

The EIS-FELA Branch Convenor at Forth Valley College, Anne Marie Harley said, “This is fantastic news, and the branch is extremely pleased that the Joint Referral made to the NJNC has found that the disputed ‘instructor-assessor’ posts are indeed lecturer posts.

"This determination vindicates the branch’s campaign and industrial action in protecting the role of lecturers at Forth Valley College. This is an outcome that is in the best interest of the college, its lecturing staff and its students.”