LECTURERS will go on strike at West College Scotland in Greenock this week.
Staff will walk out on Thursday as part of an action by EIS-FELA members on Thursday over pay - with further stoppages planned for May and June.
Mark Gillan, EIS-FELA depute branch secretary in Greenock, says there is very strong feeling among lecturers about the wage dispute.
He said: "The result of our statutory ballot is overwhelmingly a vote for strike action. A gigantic 96.4 per cent of members voting have indicated they will take industrial action up to and including strike.
"The management side agreed a deal for equal pay across Scotland for lecturers and our pay increase over a year ago.
"The agreement was reached after mammoth meetings in March last year, bringing about a negotiated end to our previous strike action.
"Now we are calling upon colleges' management to honour the deal."
Mr Gillan said the union has been in discussions with management for over a year, but he said management have tried to muddy the clear waters of the agreement.
He said: "They are speaking of massive cuts to holiday entitlement, increased workloads with the very distinct possibility of quality of education being adversely affected due to excessive stress and lack of time for all of our many duties inside and outside of the classroom."
The union officials said lecturers are fully aware of the impact strike action could have upon students, especially approaching exams and within the last block of an academic year.
Mr Gillan added: "As professionals, it obviously pulls upon our strings. Our members never take strike action lightly and always want to consider the best interests of students, but the strike action and the impact upon students could have been avoided if management just honoured the deal.
"No-one ever wants to go on strike, but we have no alternative, especially when the deal was struck to end our previous industrial action over a year ago and we thought that was the end of the matter.
"This national dispute will have distinct local impact."
Further strikes are planned for May 3, 9, 11, 16, 17, 23, 24, 25, 30 and 31, as well as June 1, with the possibility of others.
A statement from West College Scotland's senior management team said talks were still continuing.
It said: "This is a national negotiation, and it is important to recognise this has always related to agreement not only on pay, but also terms and conditions.
"We would be disappointed if industrial action was to take place while talks are continuing between the Colleges Scotland Employers Association and EIS.
"Any industrial action would inevitably cause disruption at an important time of the year, and so the priority of West College Scotland during this national dispute is to work with staff in considering the best interests of students and to minimise any impact on their education."
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CONTRIB PICS of Mark Gillan and strikers