THE head of a newly-merged college who was suspended amidst claims of a bullying culture has been reinstated without a disciplinary hearing.

Susan Walsh, the principal of Glasgow Clyde College, was suspended on full pay by former board chairman George Chalmers in March after complaints from unions of a "perceived culture" of fear and bullying.

However, after months of stalemate the entire board was sacked by Angela Constance, the Education Secretary, over concerns the board had racked up thousands of pounds of legal fees.

Now the new board has decided to reinstate Mrs Walsh without a full disciplinary hearing on the allegations of bullying.

The move was welcomed by students, but trade unions said the issues of bullying raised at the time of her suspension had still not been dealt with. 

A statement from the board said: "The board.... intimated to staff that it was in the process of conducting a full and thorough review into the decision by the previous board to suspend principal Susan Walsh.

"This review is now complete and the current board has come to the conclusion that it will not be pursuing any disciplinary action."

The new chair of the board Alex Linkston has now been in contact with the principal telling her of the decision and inviting her to return to work.

Mr Linkston said: “Having fully and exhaustively examined with colleagues the decision by the previous board to suspend Ms Walsh, the current board has written to Ms Walsh to inform her that it will not be pursuing any disciplinary action and that her suspension has been lifted with immediate effect.

“The past several months have proven a difficult time for Glasgow Clyde College, and the board sees as paramount the need to move forward and to look to the future with confidence.”

An EIS spokesman said: "While we cannot comment in relation to the employment status of any individual college employee, the EIS has previously raised a number of concerns regarding the management style at Glasgow Clyde College and across the further education sector more generally.

"It remains essential that these issues are addressed, to ensure that all colleges provide an appropriate environment in which to work and to learn.

"It should be clearly noted that the initial concerns raised by staff at Glasgow Clyde have still not been dealt with and this will be a cause of concern for many lecturers."

The EIS said it had been a "difficult time" for staff at the college that the scale of the challenges ahead should not be underestimated.

Hollie Moran, president of the college's Students’ Association, said: “We welcome the conclusion of the review carried out by the board of the college.

"On behalf of all students, I would like to thank college staff for ensuring that, during the past few months, we have continued to enjoy a positive experience."