Strikes suspended as college lecturers ‘overwhelmingly’ accept pay offer

College lecturers have voted “overwhelmingly” to accept an improved, final pay offer from employers following previous industrial action, a union has said.

The Educational Institute of Scotland announced on Friday that its members in the Further Education Lecturers’ Association (EIS-FELA) have accepted a 4.14% pay rise from College Employers Scotland (CES).

It comes in addition to the employers’ full and final offer of a £5,000 pay increase across the preceding three academic years – with the Scottish Government providing an additional £4.5 million in funding for an increased lecturer pay award from 2025 to 2026.

CES bosses say the new offer will deliver a starting salary for lecturers of nearly £42,000, with average salaries increasing to more than £50,000.

It comes after months of strike dates in response to pay offers that were deemed too low by EIS-FELA members.

Strike action has now been suspended until the pay agreement is fully validated.

The EIS opened a ballot last week, which closed on Friday at 12pm.

The union said 95% of lecturers voted in favour of the improved offer, and 5% rejected it, with a turnout of 84%.

EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said: “Our members in the further education sector have delivered a very clear ballot result today, voting overwhelmingly in favour of accepting the improved pay offer from college employers.

“The offer delivers pay certainty and stability for our members for this year and next, together with backdated pay settlements for the past two years.

“Additionally, there is an obligation on college employers to repay any salary that was ‘deemed’, that is to say deducted, from lecturers engaged in action short of strike during this dispute.

“The agreement also includes assurances in relation to no compulsory redundancies as a result of this deal.”

Ms Bradley said the dispute could have been resolved sooner, saying employers could have treated the situation with more “urgency” and that the Scottish Government could have offered to help.

She said: “This has been a very long and difficult campaign, with EIS-FELA members forced to engage in a long-running programme of industrial action to secure a fair pay settlement from college employers and assurance that this will not come at the cost of jobs.

“It is by standing together, through their union, that our members have achieved success in the campaign for a fair pay settlement from college employers.

“This dispute really did not have to go on for as long as it did, as colleges could have shown far more urgency in delivering a fair offer and the Scottish Government could have stepped in earlier to facilitate an improved settlement with the injection of additional funding, and, importantly, taking a firm stance against deeming.”

Ms Bradley said all strike action has now been brought to a halt while the pay offer is ratified next week.

She added: “The EIS expects employers to take urgent action to deliver their parts of the expected agreement, including to ensure that all money withheld via ‘deeming’ of lecturers’ salaries is repaid to our members as soon as possible.

“EIS-FELA members look forward to rebuilding and improving further education and hope that employers will join us on that journey.”

With industrial action now at an end, colleges hope to be able to fully concentrate on providing the world-class educational experience their students deserve

Gavin Donoghue, director of CES, said: “Employers are pleased to see the EIS-FELA members’ overwhelming acceptance of this substantial pay offer, and the end of this long-running industrial dispute.

“This pay award delivers a starting salary for lecturers of nearly £42,000 from September 2025, with the average lecturer salary increasing to more than £50,000.

“This means that lecturers in Scotland will continue to enjoy the best pay and conditions of any college lecturers across the UK.

“The goal of employers throughout the current dispute has been to secure a pay settlement that is fair and affordable, while protecting the interests of students.

“Now that all industrial action is suspended, it is imperative that any boycotted student results are entered into college systems without delay.”

Graeme Dey MSP, the Scottish Government’s further education minister, welcomed the result, saying it is great news for students.

He added: “This is a strong package for college staff and despite the pressures on public finances, the Scottish Government has, following the two sides reaching an outline agreement, been able to make £4.5 million available from next year’s (2025-2026) budget to support a deal.

“I am determined that our college sector continues to thrive going forward and will be at the heart of our collective mission to strengthen economic growth and deliver an education system with excellence and equity at its heart.

“The fact the agreement runs till 2026 also now affords all parties an opportunity to build on work already under way to explore how we might establish better industrial relations in the sector.”