Day one of the EIS-FELA strike action at Edinburgh's Telford College got off to a great start as members gathered on the picket line from 7am onwards.Undeterred by the bitter weather the official pickets, including EIS President Kirsty Devaney, took their positions at the 3 main entrances to the college in a visible protest against the college Principalships decision to create a 2-tier employment structure through the enforced use of the profit making Nottingham based, 3rd party employment agency Protocol National.
It soon became very clear that there is substantial support for the members of the Branch Committee and the EIS members engaged in the dispute as several non EIS colleagues, unable to join their colleagues due to the threat of disciplinary action, demonstrated their support through words of encouragement and the constant sounding of car of horns.
It was also notable that only a fraction of the EIS membership within the college crossed the picket line.
Most encouraging however was the support shown directly by the students themselves many of who have signed student generated petitions, are writing letters and have even started leaving comments (see below) on this blog supporting the removal of Protocol National.
“The tutors at Telford are absolutely fantastic. Anyone who wants to mess up a system that already works should open their eyes. To introduce a company only interested in profit rather than education of its students is insane. Morale will fall and with it, the college reputation. This should not be allowed to happen, get Protocol out.”
The Branch Committee would like to thank all those who demonstrated solidarity with our members over the course of the day particularly those who provided much needed hot drinks and local businesses like Sandy’s who kept us going with complimentary hot rolls.
12 comments:
I believe that this blg is now banned in the college, what exactly are the ,management so afraid of the students finding out that they have to resort to such low levels for. It is strange for a college that teaches journalism that they believe so strongly in press censorship.
I have been so moved by the selfless actions of the lecturing staff at Edinburgh's Telford College that I have written to the Minister responsible for further and higher education in the Scottish Government.
If you feel the need to do the same her contact details are:
Fiona Hyslop MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning
The Scottish Government
Ministerial Correspondence Unit
St Andrew's House
Regent Road
Edinburgh
EH1 3DG
Phone: 0131 556 8400
Email: Fiona.Hyslop.msp@scottish.parliament.uk
Website: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Home
This website has already proved so effective that college access to it has been denied.
Perhaps the IT department at the college could provide a list of all banned websites. Then we can see just exactly what fantastic company this website belongs alongside.
Nothing good is expected of Mr. Harris, Edinburgh's Telford College Principal. Since his arrival in Scotland further education changes have been for the worse.
The future of education is, really in the hands of the lecturers and they must be encouraged and helped.
I'm a student in Telford college who has moved over from Ireland SPECIFICALLY to study at Telford, I'm absolutely disgusted with how the college management treats it staff AND students. They seem to completely and utterly ignore any opinion other than their own, from the staff strike to the blocking of external e-mail servers.
I've only been studying here a month and already I can see how dedicated the tutors are to their students. Every tutor I have is incredibly understanding and helpful and I don't believe they'd strike if it wasn't completely neccessary. Obviously, it's inconvenient for students since we're missing half our college week (especially for art students who particularly require tutoring for specific profects), but there are FULL TIME CONTRACT tutors who are not effected by the 3rd party who are STILL losing pay and precious course time because they're standing up for their fellow co-workers.
I commned the students who set up this site and handed around petitions!! I think if the students put more pressure on managment it would help enormously. After all, what is Telford without students?? pointless!
I'm a student in Telford college who has moved over from Ireland SPECIFICALLY to study at Telford, I'm absolutely disgusted with how the college management treats it staff AND students. They seem to completely and utterly ignore any opinion other than their own, from the staff strike to the blocking of external e-mail servers.
I've only been studying here a month and already I can see how dedicated the tutors are to their students. Every tutor I have is incredibly understanding and helpful and I don't believe they'd strike if it wasn't completely neccessary. Obviously, it's inconvenient for students since we're missing half our college week (especially for art students who particularly require tutoring for specific profects), but there are FULL TIME CONTRACT tutors who are not effected by the 3rd party who are STILL losing pay and precious course time because they're standing up for their fellow co-workers.
I commned the students who set up this site and handed around petitions!! I think if the students put more pressure on managment it would help enormously. After all, what is Telford without students?? pointless!
Surely it's about time that Telford Board of Management took some reponsibility for the unhappy situation that staff and students find themselves in. When dozens and dozens of Lecturing Staff and hundreds of students can easily see the fundamental unfairness of a two-tier pay and conditions system but a small group ie The Principalship cannot, then they need some firm direction from the Board who must clearly see how the entrenched, dogmatic and arrogant approach by the people in power has led to the grim situation we now have at the college.
So come on Board members, dont remain 'faceless' show some real leadership at this difficult time and support the hard working students and their lecturers.
LONG suffering staff and students at Telford have obviously had enough with the result that lecturers have been forced, albeit reluctantly, into this current action but not without the support of hundreds of the students who unlike the Principalship and the Board of Management can easily see inequality and unfairness when it is staring them in the face.
The students have long been the victims of draconian cuts in teaching time (10 hours timetabled teaching in many cases) which they have complained about through the official channels but to no effect. The Principalship utter responses such as 'We are being flexible and listening to the needs of todays learners' and other such nonsense.' when it is patently clear that it is all about cost cutting.
Now an already hugely demoralised group of lecturers are expected to accept the shocking treatment of colleagues who have had no other choice but to sign up with the profit making Protocol National and watch their pay and conditions go right down the pan.
It's a disgrace!
It strikes me that the College Management who enthusiastically embrace the notion of the College being 'world class' are the very ones who if they remain in post much longer, will prevent it from ever happening.
It seems pretty obvious that the Senior Management of Telford have no interest in a quality education for students. Cutting taught time, replacing Lecturers with Instructions and Learning Assistants, and giving students the bare minumum support to achieve their qualifications, so that the College can profit from the fees taxpayers spend on education, is sickening and in no way "World Class".
Bringing in Agency staff in an attempt to cut costs further is just the last straw, and may fatally damage the college. Why should students choose to study at Telford where they will get less contact time with Lecturers than at some other colleges, and with higher staff turnover due to use of Agency staff on very short term 'assignments', when they could get a better quality education at another College which does not treat its staff and students with contempt?
I am in Total agreement with many of the posts which call on the College Board of Management to take some action or at least to make their collective or individual opinion clear. Do they support PAYING an Agency to advertise "Visiting Lecturers" jobs at £10.17 per hour?
We all know the College has to run within set budgets and SFC directives....but surely the Board need to question how to do this with personal, educational and managerial integrity. Is it by reducing face to face delivery beyond a level of any other Scottish college and that of any valued teaching methodology suggests, expanding its HR Dept whilst at the same time employing an agency to recruit, pay and manage its temporary staff on pay as low as £10.17 P/H. Unfortunately the answer is yes at the present. On a finishing note congratulations to all for an excellent set of HMIe results last year, the A, teaching and Learning elements, can be still seen as credible, however I seriously question if that can be said regarding some of the B, management elements, when the deal/ service agreement/ contract, whatever ever it is, was completed behind the back of staff at all levels,the EIS and the HMIe. Then again did the HMIe know and still consider this very good Educational Leadership.....so very good its resulted in protracted fully supported strike action by the largest teaching union in Scotland and supported by the vast majority of Telford students? Well thanks to the students we might find out as they are contacting the HMIe and Board, through the NUS, to ask them directly for a response to these issues. The students are certainly developing some great employability skills and assuming the role of excellent citizens for modern Scotland, I praise them on their intelligence and mature insight.
The Senior Management Team in Telford College claim that one of the reasons for introducing Protocol National into the College is to make recruiting and managing temporary lecturers a lot easier and they say more economical. This absolutely beggars belief when you see the number of so called HR staff who are now employed by the college. Blow me there's even a so called HR Consultant on the books and exactly what he does for his undisclosed fee is anybodys guess. Although if my memory serves me correctly he was the big cheese originally charged with liasing with Protocol National, so he is clearly an HR Consultant with a great sense of fair play and equality for all staff. As well as all these new folks dealing ably with 'Human Resources' there are Accountants, Associate Principals, Heads of Departments and basically more self important individuals than you could shake a stick at. But still the combination of all this talent and experience cannot it seems recruit and manage temporary lecturing staff and by all accounts need to call upon a third party to do so. Strange.
This same tier of highly trained managers (many of them ex lecturers) will never, as long as the current, arrogant, selfish outfit remains in charge, have their pay and conditions destroyed in the way they are attempting to destroy those of some of their colleagues.
It is disappointing but perhaps not surprising that many of the people in elevated positions in this regime who were once lecturers themselves quite simply collude with the Principal and his able Deputy and dont seem to question the unfairness of what SMT wish to impose on temporary lecturers many of whom they taught beside in a previous life. Can they all really be quite so selfish or spineless?
These people really do need to examine their consciences.
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