LECTURERS from one of Scotland's largest colleges took strike action yesterday over concerns that long-standing agreements over pay and conditions are being ignored by management.
Staff from James Watt College, in Greenock walked out after the abolition of some 30 senior lecturing jobs.
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said the college was seeking to cut their pay and conditions either by rewriting their job descriptions or demoting them.
Ronnie Smith, general secretary of the EIS, said: "The management's attempt to impose inferior conditions on senior lecturers in the college has united the entire lecturing staff in opposition to this unfair and unwarranted attack on this group of workers.
"The EIS sticks to the agreements that it enters into, and it is now time that the management at James Watt College do the same by halting their attack on senior lecturing staff."
A spokeswoman for James Watt College said the management team "firmly believed" it had put forward the fairest offer possible to staff.
She also questioned how much support there was for action.
She said: "There are 260 EIS members at the college. Of those eligible to vote in the ballot for strike action, only 38% opted to pursue this action. As such, this represents just 31% of all teaching staff.
"The management team regards the offer on the table as extremely reasonable and encourages the union to reconsider."
James Watt is one of three colleges in the west of Scot- land which have announced their decision to merge. James Watt, Reid Kerr and Clydebank Colleges could join together to create a new super-college.
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