TEACHING will be suspended at a Renfrewshire college tomorrow as part of nationwide strike action. 

There are no classes being delivered as the result of a sector-wide dispute between the Educational Institute of Scotland – Further Education Lecturers' Association (EIS-FELA) union and Colleges Scotland.

This will affect the West College Scotland Paisley campus, with classes suspended for the day as a result. 

This is the second day of strike action, with lecturers having already taken industrial action across Scotland in January. 

A further two strike dates have also been proposed on March 6 and March 21, should a deal not be met between the sides. 

READ MORE: 'Unity is strength' - Renfrewshire's college lecturers on strike

According to the EIS-FELA executive committee, the dispute is about a "cost of living pay increase and ensuring that lecturers' pay keeps up with inflation".

While there are no classes, libraries, refectories and nurseries will be open as normal. 

Following the initial strike action on January 16, EIS chiefs and Colleges Scotland bosses met in Glasgow to discuss a cost of living rise for lecturers. 

However, a deal was not met - with Colleges Scotland saying they have offered a 12 per cent national increase - so EIS are set to proceed with another day of action. 

EIS FELA President Pam Currie said after the initial meeting: "We welcome the fact that talks are finally taking place, over a month after we submitted a revised claim, and we reiterate our disappointment that the Employers Association waited until after the first day of strike action before starting negotiations.

"Management have finally acknowledged that equal pay and cost of living are separate and distinct and always have been. However, we are disappointed that the new offer from management would leave our members worse off than the original offer.

"The original offer was significantly lower than public sector pay policy across the three years and was rejected overwhelmingly by our members some months ago.

"In the event that they fail to make an acceptable offer, we will have no option but to seek to escalate our industrial action."

READ MORE: College chiefs hit back at EIS ahead of strike action

Previously, Shona Struther, chief executive of Colleges Scotland, said: "It is extremely disappointing that the EIS-FELA is taking disruptive strike action for the third time in four years, especially when the colleges’ pay offer, combined with salary rises from the ‘same pay’ settlement, would see lecturers’ national average pay increase over three years by 12.2%, which is a cash increase of £4,468. 

"This offer on the table is the best overall pay rise for public sector workers anywhere in the UK, but the EIS-FELA want even more."