The EIS-FELA Branch Committee and management at Edinburgh's Telford College have released a joint statement to all staff regarding the current dispute.
This follows todays special meeting of the branch at which it was announced that due to the managements U-Turn on the use of 3rd Party employment agency's to provide temporary lecturers the current strike action has been suspended.
The suspension of strike will allow for further talks to take place clarifying the managements formal proposals followed by a bollot asking members if they wish to end the current action altogether.
Ballot papers will be issued from Oct 22nd with a result expected approximately 3 weeks later.
The Branch Committee would like to thank all colleagues, students and the public who have demonstrated continued and unwavering support for our members during what has been a very difficult time.
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when I first came to this college all I heard about was this almost mythical beast that was unbeatable called tyhe management. they ruled the college unchallenged and what they said went no matter what. well it seems that this beast has well and truely been beaten. all we had to do was stand together and protect ourselfs and the college we work in. As lond as we keep this unity and belief in ourselfs and what we believe in then we can win again and again. This is our victory and maybe even a turning point in this college. Congratulations to the brach members and more importantly congratulations to us all.
Dear Branch Committee,
I have been following your struggle with great interest and I am delighted to hear that you and your members have demonstrated that a seemingly unbeatable and legendarily, entrenched management such as yours can be taken to task and indisputably put in its place.
You have won well my friends and you should hold your heads very high indeed. The rest of the sector have been watching intently and will be breathing a collective sigh of relief.
Very, very well done.
After reading the announcement of the strike suspension, I couldn’t wait to get along to the meeting today. I was anticipating a celebration of what we have achieved, and for everyone to be in joyous mood. I guess the feeling of mistrust is so deep now though that it is difficult for some people to deal with any situation regarding the college management. A really important point was made that we must see today as a marker in time where things have changed for good. We must stop adopting the mantle of the victim, and understand the power we have when we work together. We took the management head-on regarding a major issue of inequality – and we won. We are the victors not the victims. Let's take that power forward.
There were so many excellent things about this campaign:
• The support of students – crucial to our victory. Our management have so many layers of non-contact personnel that they forgot that lecturers relationships with students is stronger than any PR nonsense they come up with.
• The blog – fantastic! (and thanks for the back catalogue, I haven’t laughed so hard for a long time when reading an account of last year’s Festival of Learning.)
• The branch committee – you have been simply magnificent.
• The support of politicians - let's take this as a first step back to national pay bargaining, restoration of teaching hours, recognition of senior lecturer responsibilities and more.
• The support of other colleges - they all knew how much was riding on this.
• And everyone who had a positive attitude. We can change things for the better.
Chinese strategist, Sun Tzu, who wrote the original 7000-word treatise "The Art of War" put it like this 2500 years ago.
"Make an estimate of the situation" and "fight only the battles you can win."
What a resounding success. I don't think anyone could have imagined when we started this action that the management would have changed its attitude so quickly. A clear message has been sent to them by this action. They cannot continue to push us around. This branch has finally shown that it can and will stand up for what is right.
A message to the Management:
I hope that you are accutely aware that all the members of this branch are now watching your every move. We do not want to go done the road of strike action again but by golly we will if we have to.
Of course you must retain the 'right to manage' but not in the manner you have been getting away with for so long.
For the attention of the doubting Thomas' at the meeting this afternoon.
The following is a Parliamentry motion cut and pasted from the Scottish Parliament website.
S3M-560 Marlyn Glen: Dispute at Edinburgh’s Telford College—That the Parliament notes with concern the current dispute resulting from Edinburgh’s Telford College enlisting a private agency to contract temporary and fixed-term lecturers, instructors and learning assistants at lower rates of pay than those of permanent staff and without pension rights; considers that introducing a two-tier system of pay and employment rights can only have a negative impact on staff morale and inevitably will affect the standards and quality of education available; believes that such a situation is unacceptable in Scotland, and urges the Scottish Executive to support the introduction of the EU agency workers directive and the introduction of legislation at UK level to establish the principle of pay and conditions for agency workers being equal to those of workers who are permanently employed.
Supported by: Elaine Smith, Bill Butler, John Park, Elaine Murray, Trish Godman, Cathy Peattie, Malcolm Chisholm, Robin Harper, Mike Pringle
I understand further signitures are to follow.
For the first time in ages staff and students at Telford College have achieved something to be positive about. Thanks to the combined efforts of many, many students and most (but not all) EIS members, the outcome of this most unfortunate dispute has been a great success for everyone who has been adversley affected by the virtual 'bully boy' tactics of the Principalship and other so called 'senior management'.
Perhaps now we can all get back to the job we want to do, namely teaching our students, but now in a climate and atmosphere more conducive to learning.
Hopefully the stance that was taken and the outcome achieved will remind everybody that equality is worth fighting for.
The students always knew it, the staff always knew it, sadly it was the Principalship and cronies who failed to grasp this simple philosophy.
Over the last few weeks it has been heartening to be part of a body of students and lecturers who, having had enough of the Senior Managements incompetence and arrogance, decided to make a stand against the introduction of Protocol National. It was simply the last straw!
So to the students who rallied against such injustice and to our courageous and inspirational EIS Branch Committee who united us during this difficult dispute, I would like to say a huge thankyou.
Such unity will hopefully see us through difficult times ahead and will galvanise us against ever being bullied by such uncaring and incompetent Management in the future.
“A big boy done it then ran away.”
Seems to me that the Deputy Principal is very rattled by the current situation. In less than a week he has:
• done a u-turn on the use of Protocol National
• reversed the decision to block student use of email accounts
• reversed his decision not to allow the students to hold a public meeting
• far from vigorously defended the Principals holiday plans
This is certainly a change of tact by the formally uncompromising, hard nosed, inflexible, its my way or the high way, iron man of Telford.
Sadly I suspect this conciliatory approach has more to do with his attempts to retain or indeed elevate his position within the institution.
As an ex-telfordian (is there such a word?) I am delighted to see the principalship get their just deserts. Way to go!
Keep up the pressure, this is only the beginning
well done. As a movie once said, "we will not go quietly into the night, we will fight" and fight you did, and win you will. This is a test of teamwork and determination and, with the support of the students, the tutors have stood tall and proud (even in the torential rain) so congratulations. Hope this will all be sorted and and we can get back to class!
Well Done!
Keep it up, and don't trust them.
Next stop: enquiry into the abuses and bullying tactics of the SMT over the years, and then get rid of them. They are the worst management team I have ever come across, and whoever employed them in the first place should be squirming with embarrassment.
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