A LABOUR MSP has spoken out in parliament about a pay row which could affect staff at West College Scotland in Greenock.

Katy Clark challenged ministers to direct colleges to withdraw what she described as 'unacceptable' pay deduction threats to lecturers.

Speaking after her portfolio question in the Scottish Parliament on reports that colleges are warning staff they will have up to 100 per cent of their pay deducted for taking part in legally mandated action short of strike, the West Scotland MSP criticised the response she received from further education minister Graeme Dey.

She said: “The Scottish Government must direct colleges to withdraw the threats to deduct pay from hard working lecturers.

“These are workers who are being threatened with the removal of up to 100 per cent of their pay even if they are still attending work as normal. This is absolutely unacceptable.

“When I raised this with the minister, he disappointingly merely asserted colleges’ legal rights to do so. That doesn’t make it fair or ethical.

“Colleges must abide by its fair work obligations and the minister must now intervene to ensure lecturers are given a fair pay rise, to avoid more disruption and the loss of learning opportunities for students, and to tell employers they can’t make deductions in this way.”