LECTURERS are balloting on strike action in a long-running pay dispute after Colleges Scotland attempted to impose a previously rejected pay offer.

Teaching union the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) has begun an industrial action ballot for lecturers at 16 colleges in support of a 2015-16 pay claim proposed by the EIS Further Education Lecturers Association (EIS-Fela), which sought to ensure pay equality in colleges across Scotland.

EIS-Fela president John Kelly accused college management of dragging the process out for over a year before making a “completely unacceptable offer” that does not apply to all colleges.