College Lecturers, as members of the trade union EIS/FELA, are planning to commence a period of industrial strike action in April 2024. The union is striking in support of their pay claim for 2022/23.
What has College Employers Scotland said?
College Employers Scotland (CES) works and negotiates on behalf of Scotland’s colleges with the trade unions in the college sector.
College Employers Scotland, which represents college employers, has now made its full and final pay offers to all of the support staff unions (UNISON, Unite) and the EIS-FELA to settle the current pay disputes.
The employers’ pay offers are for a £5,000 consolidated pay offer from employers includes the offer of a £2,000 pay rise for Academic Year (AY) 2022/23 and £1,500 for AY 2023/24, together with a £1,500 rise in AY 2024/25
When will the strikes happen?
The trade unions feel this offer does not meet their expectations and as a result we have been given notice of EIS-FELA strike action expected to take place on the following dates:
- April 17th 2024
- April 26th 2024
- April 30th 2024
This means online and in-person classes on the above days may not run as planned.
As our Lecturers are not obliged to tell us if they are going out on strike in advance, we cannot confirm whether your lecturer will be at work. Our college campuses in Dumfries and Stranraer will remain open throughout the strike action, although classes may not run.
Your lecturer may confirm to you in advance if your class is going ahead as scheduled.
If your lecturer has confirmed they’ll be on strike, you’ll be able to access electronic resources on Microsoft Teams and LearnNet and you can use the time to catch up on preparation towards assessment or self-directed study.
If you come to our Dumfries or Stranraer campuses and find your class is cancelled, we’ll be able to accommodate you within our areas for study.
Please refer to the FAQs below for further information
Strike Action FAQs
Our college campuses in Dumfries and Stranraer will remain open although classes may not run. Your Lecturer may confirm if your class is going ahead as scheduled.
The teaching union EIS/FELA have balloted their members on whether to take strike action. Their members have indicated that they are prepared to take strike action on the 29th February 2024. Our Lecturers are not obliged to tell us if they are going out on strike, we cannot confirm whether your Lecturer will be at work.
All students will be given a positive attendance for any days of strike action.
You can still access electronic resources on Microsoft Team and LearnNet. You can use the time to catch up on preparation towards assessment or self-directed study.
Remember this is a national strike and there will be a national approach to this issue as a result. We will work with you to ensure that we do everything possible to enable your next step in learning or move into employment.
Lecturers are going on strike as a result of a dispute related to pay.
Yes, all teaching and support staff in Scotland have been encouraged to take strike action.
On dates indicated for strikes, above, Lecturing and Support staff may not attend work and as such online or in-person classes may not run.
The library is open and staffed as normal. If students are unable to return library books during this time – or have other queries – they can email thelibrary@dumgal.ac.uk
While our college campuses will remain open, if you’re due to be on campus, your classes or assessments may not run on the dates indicated above.
If you’re due to attend a class or take an assessment online, these also may not run on the affected dates.
Your Lecturer may confirm if your class or assessment is going ahead as scheduled.
If you come to our Dumfries or Stranraer campuses and find your class is cancelled, we’ll be able to accommodate you. We will have study spaces available for you to use.
Student Support
As a reminder, our student support services are available if you need them. If you need to speak to a member of our team, please get in touch via the email addresses below.
- Student Advisers – studentadviser@dumgal.ac.uk
- Student Funding – studentfunding@dumgal.ac.uk
You can also access our mental health & wellbeing service via the Student Portal