Question reference: S6W-00185
- Asked by: Ross Greer, MSP for West Scotland, Scottish Green Party
- Date lodged: 24 May 2021
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Current status: Answered by Jamie Hepburn on 9 June 2021
Question
To ask the Scottish Government what its position is on the "fire and rehire" practice, in which college lecturers are reportedly being made redundant while simultaneously being offered course instructor posts on poorer pay and conditions.
Answer
Colleges are responsible for making workforce-related decisions in line with legislative requirements, the Code of Good Governance for Scotland’s Colleges and the Scottish Funding Council’s Financial Memoranda. Such decisions may take into account the need to implement changes to the delivery of teaching and learning to reflect the changing needs of the local economy and industry skills demands, as well as on the financial health of the institution.
The Scottish Government remains firmly of the view that it is for the college unions and the employers to negotiate pay and terms and conditions voluntarily in the spirit of collaboration and co-operation. The Scottish Government continue to work with the SFC, who work closely with the sector, to ensure any actions taken are compliant with the Scottish Public Finance Manual and are in line with Fair Work principles.
We are committed to reviewing our Fair Work First criteria to specifically reference Fire and Rehire Practice.