Seòmar agus comataidhean

I have a final question on boards. Derek Smeall has been mentioned; you might be aware of the evidence that he gave on the Glasgow Colleges Regional Board. Does Colleges Scotland have a view on that? Do you align with the view that has been expressed to us that it is pretty hard to justify why that regional board exists at all?

You mentioned the latest lessons-learned report, publication of which is still to come. From that and internal reflections from within Colleges Scotland, are there further changes to the national joint negotiating committee framework that you would like? Is there anything structural about the process that could be improved? Some of the evidence that we have received and a lot of the wider public discussion on the matter comes back to challenging interpersonal relationships between people on the two sides who have been in the room for so long that issues have become entrenched. That is a cultural issue that can be resolved. Are there structural issues in the process that could result in improvement if they were changed?

On pay, although I recognise that it would not free up the money that would be required for settlements that are claimed by the lecturers or support staff unions, because the scale is totally different, is there an issue with unions urging college staff to show pay restraint, given that some principals in Scotland earn more than the First Minister and quite a number earn more than the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Skills?

You can surely understand why the workforce find it hard to stomach messaging on pay restraint from individuals who are on more than 150 grand a year, and some who are on far more than that.

I have a brief question on boards. There is a long-standing Government commitment to enabling permanent trade union representation on boards. Some boards already have that, but there is the Government commitment, for the sake of consistency. Does Colleges Scotland support that? Do you think that it would help to improve things?

I appreciate that. Thank you.

I have a couple of questions around industrial relations, which are for Shona Struthers and Andrew Witty in the first instance.

I am sure that you will have seen that, as part of this inquiry, I have asked witnesses in previous sessions why they believe that we have had industrial disputes in the sector in seven of the past eight years when we have not had that in any other sector in Scotland. Would you like to have an opportunity to comment on that, in the first instance? What do you think has brought us to the point at which that has become, in essence, an annual occurrence?

On one level, I recognise that things have improved, because I have been involved to a varying extent over most of the years concerned. However, even with improvements, there has still been national industrial action in almost every one of those years—certainly, in every one of the past few years. If things are improving, why is there still national strike action every year?

It felt a bit like you sidestepped the issue of principals’ pay, there.

Thank you.