STAFF at Forth Valley College are continuing the fight to protect the lecturer role with strikes to go ahead this week.

As previously reported, members of the EIS-FELA trade union have been raising concerns over the introduction of instructor assessors, their terms and conditions and the quality of teaching.

They are set to go on strike again today and tomorrow (May 5 and 6).

As previously highlighted, the issue went national and while it has been resolved at that level last week, the dispute that started it all is still ongoing in the Forth Valley.

Last week the EIS-FELA executive and their counterparts at Colleges Scotland, representing employers, both ratified a resolution to the dispute.

Anne-Marie Harley, convener of the Forth Valley EIS-FELA branch and vice-president of the organisation at a national level, told the Advertiser: "We believe the role that they have put in place is a lecturer role and is in breach of the national bargaining terms and conditions.

"We are fighting for those 27 [lecturers who were re-hired as instructor assessors] and also for an additional 20 or so who have since been employed under those new terms and conditions to do a job which we believe is a lecturing job.

"The national dispute has resolved, [the two sides have] come out with a statement which we think will resolve the dispute in Forth Valley; however, our employers are still refusing to budge on it."

The college previously committed to a review on the post, albeit without any input from the union.

Anne-Marie explained that last week's national resolution makes clear what the profile of a lecturer looks like.

She said: "If anybody is doing these tasks [preparing and delivering lessons as well as assessing work] they should be viewed as a lecturer, so they can't just change the name of the job and employ them on different terms and conditions to do the same job."

Anne-Marie is looking to escalate the dispute to national secretaries of both organisations for a resolution, but said the college has refused to do so thus far, waiting for the outcome of their own review.

Dr Ken Thomson, college principal, explained his main concern was for students "at this critical time of their studies".

He said: "We are very keen to secure a positive outcome and we are currently undertaking a full and detailed review of the instructor assessor role at the college against the nationally agreed lecturer role profile.

"This review will be led by a senior academic manager, working independently.

"Now we have national recognition of the role of a lecturer, the objective of the review is to determine whether or not there are clear differences between the instructor assessor role and the lecturer role.

"If EIS-FELA Forth Valley reject the outcomes of the review and there is no local resolution, then the matter will be referred to the joint secretaries of both parties.

"The college is fully committed to this process."