College strike action that was due to take place next week has been suspended after talks to resolve a bitter dispute over lecturer jobs made progress.
Leaders at Colleges Scotland (CS), which represents institutions in the further education sector, said the development had come after "lengthy and productive" negotiations.
READ MORE: Scotland's colleges facing 'indefinite three-day strikes'
The EIS Further Education Lecturers' Association (EIS-FELA) previously threated "indefinite" three-day weekly walk-outs following accusations that CS was seeking to replace lecturing roles with "instructor/assessor" positions.
Strike Action Suspended. Read the full statement here: https://t.co/SNlYgwOARS
— Colleges Scotland (@CollegesScot) April 23, 2021
It warned failure to protect the roles would deprive staff of vital class preparation time and remove the need for them to be registered with the General Teaching Council for Scotland.
A CS spokeswoman said on Friday evening: “Following lengthy and productive discussions today, good progress was made and a consensus position reached which both sides are taking to their respective memberships.
“As a result of the position reached, the strike action planned for Tuesday 27th and Wednesday 28th April 2021 has been suspended.
“The suspension is good news for students and staff.”
Negotiatons at NJNC ended a short time ago. Two days of national strike action have been suspended to allow for ratification of agreement that was reached.
— EISFela (@EISFela) April 23, 2021
An all member email will be sent this evening.#CollegesNeedLecturers ♥️🎓
EIS-FELA bosses confirmed the move, tweeting: "Two days of national strike action have been suspended to allow for ratification of agreement that was reached."
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