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Colleges across Scotland are facing disruption as lecturers take part in another one-day strike over pay.

The industrial action is the second strike in the space of three weeks with more strike days scheduled for later in the year.

The EIS Further Education Lecturers' Association (Fela) is calling for a "fair" pay rise and has rejected the 2.5% offer from the colleges.

But Colleges Scotland described the pay demands as "unreasonable".

It is expected that many classes will be cancelled but college buildings and facilities such as libraries are likely to remain open.

EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: "Further education lecturers have not received a cost-of-living pay increase for almost three years, since April 2016.

"In hope of reaching a negotiated agreement, the EIS recently submitted an amended proposal which we believed would be likely to break the impasse.

"The EIS is asking only for a fair cost-of-living increase, similar to that already awarded to college support staff and also in-line with public sector pay policy."

He added: "Management's claims of unaffordability of our claim have already been shown to be based on some rather questionable calculations.

"The actual costs of the award to support staff and our pay claim for lecturers are practically identical, yet Colleges Scotland continues to push the fantasy that one claim is affordable and sustainable while the other is unaffordable and unrealistic."

Complex talks

Lecturers voted to take strike action last year and details of the pay dispute are complex.

Many lecturers have had substantial pay rises in recent years because of an agreement to equalise rates of pay at different colleges. Many would also get such payments this year.

However, some other lecturers - especially those who worked at the colleges which previously had the highest rates of pay - have seen their basic salaries remain unchanged for three years.

The EIS Fela believes the cost-of-living pay rise for all lecturers and rises to help standardise salaries should be treated as distinct issues.

John Gribben, director of employment services at umbrella body Colleges Scotland Employers' Association, said: "It is disappointing that the EIS-Fela has not suspended strike action whilst negotiations are ongoing. We have met with the EIS-Fela on 10 occasions to discuss pay and will be meeting them again on 7 February to try and end this disruptive strike action.

"The EIS-Fela is aware that colleges are already having to make cuts to finance the additional pay offer which they have rejected. Their unreasonable pay demands would mean fewer courses, fewer students, and fewer lecturing jobs in the college sector.

"College lecturers in Scotland are by far the best paid across the UK and they have rejected a combined pay deal that would increase national average pay by over 12%, or more than £4,000, from 2017/20."