WEST College Scotland in Greenock could face the prospect of a strike in the new year.

Unions are unhappy over the use of instructor roles in further education, with EIS-FELA balloting its members on industrial action.

They say lecturers are being replaced with lower-paid and less-qualified staff.

A spokesperson for Colleges Scotland said it was 'disappointing that the EIS-FELA is asking its members to consider industrial action in the midst of a global pandemic that has disrupted education'.

They added: “Instructor/tutor/assessor positions are not new roles and have been in place within the sector for a considerable number of years.

“The use of instructors, assessors and tutors in the college sector is a well-established practice."