AYRSHIRE College staff have once again gone on strike in a row over pay.

Members of the UNISON union at the Ayrshire campuses walked out on Tuesday, September 6 alongside staff at 19 other colleges.

The dispute is the result of college bosses awarding lecturing staff a £450 flat rate rise in May 2016 - while most college support staff have been offered a flat rate of £230.

College support staff (administration, admissions, funding, catering, cleaning, advisors, security, classroom assistants, technicians and others) are calling for fair pay and parity with their lecturing colleagues.

UNISON took part in national negotiations last week (August 25) but the union say college chiefs failed to bring anything new to the table after earlier talks in the new Scottish-wide bargaining forum had failed.

John Gallacher, UNISON’s Scottish organiser, said: “Striking is a last resort, but we will support our members in every way possible to achieve the same fair and reasonable pay settlement as already paid out to teaching colleagues.

“In a sector which sees top principals paid close to the salary of the Scottish First Minister, we should not be fighting over the difference between £230 and £450 for some 2,500 staff. UNISON has written to every principal and every MSP in a last ditch attempt to avoid this unnecessary and damaging dispute.”

But Chief Executive of the Colleges Scotland Employers Association, Shona Struthers, says UNISON’s demands are “not financially sustainable”.

“UNISON is demanding a flat cash increase of £450 for all support staff for 2016/17, however their members are already getting a good deal which exceeds public sector pay,” she said.

“UNISON members have been offered the same percentage increase as lecturers which equates to 2.5 per cent over two years. At the request of unions, the percentage has been offered as a cash increase.

“This means that support staff earning less than £22,000 have been offered a £400 increase to address low pay and for those earning more than £22,000, the increase amounts to £230.”

She added: “Their demands come at a time when many of their members received above inflation pay rises earlier this year, on top of a reduction in working hours and additional holiday leave.”