Emergency Motion 2
City of Glasgow College Dispute
“That this Congress stands in solidarity with EIS-FELA members in the City of Glasgow College (CoGC) Welding and Fabrication Department who are carrying out strike action to ensure safe workspaces for them and their students.
“Congress notes with significant concern that, despite the efforts of the local EIS-FELA City of Glasgow College Branch to resolve the formal Health and Safety Dispute, the college management continues to refuse to ensure that all lecturing staff in welding workshops are supplied with Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE) as protection against harmful airborne carcinogens.
“The City of Glasgow College is a public sector body. It is publicly funded and ultimately accountable to Ministers and the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government requires public sector bodies to adopt fair work practices and value workers’ ‘voice’.
“Congress expresses its concern that public sector workers must take strike action to get improvements in order to be safe at work.
“Congress recognises that there is a history of poor industrial relations at City of Glasgow College and evidence of an ingrained management culture that seems hostile to the local EIS-FELA branch and seeks to undermine its voice on behalf of workers.
“Congress calls on the Scottish Government to:
- intervene directly to ensure that Fair Work First principles are properly implemented;
- urge the management of City of Glasgow College to provide all lecturers in welding workshops with the requested Respiratory Protective Equipment (RPE), to complete all risk assessments, provide appropriate training to staff using welding equipment, and work with the Branch to ensure full implementation of Health and Safety Executive recommendations; and
- instruct the Scottish Funding Council (SFC) to review the implementation of Fair Work First at the City of Glasgow College. The views of the EIS-FELA branch should be part of that review.
Mover: Educational Institute of Scotland
RSS