CONCERNS OVER PAY for further and higher education college lecturers has prompted a Tory MSP to demand action from the Scottish Government.
Mary Scanlon, the Tory MSP for the Highlands and Islands including Moray, raised Further and Higher Education lecturers’ national pay bargaining concerns during a debate in the Parliament this week.
Mrs Scanlon said that the Scottish Government had sacrificed part-time college places and replaced them with fewer full-time jobs – but added: “A successful education policy should not just address inequality amongst students but also lecturers.”
The Scottish Conservative spokesperson for Education added: “The SNP promised National Pay Bargaining for Further Education College Lecturers following the merger process – but years later we still have the unacceptable scenario where a lecturer can be paid up to £5000 less in salary for working in the Highlands and Islands than elsewhere in Scotland.
“It would not be acceptable to pay teachers less money in the Highlands and Islands compared to their colleagues in the rest of Scotland so why should it be condoned with lecturer’s salaries?”
Pointing to the anomaly she said carried a £40million price tag, Mrs Scanlon said that the Scottish Government had “plenty of time” to meet their promise, adding: “Yet it appears that little has been done.
“If UHI Colleges across the region want to continue to attract the best staff then it is reasonable that they are valued and remunerated for the excellent work they do in the same way as colleges across Scotland.
“It is not good enough for SNP Ministers to make bold promises and then fail to deliver. This situation should have been dealt with years ago and the Education Secretary must make it a priority to deliver parity across the sector.”