Scotland's colleges are refusing to hear the voice of the lowest paid support workers in the further education sector. 

The GMB Branch is the fastest growing Branch in the college sector and is now the second largest support staff union and largest support staff union by some way in many colleges. Staff have joined us in huge numbers because we fight for fair pay and conditions that are no worse than the higher earners, no compulsory redundancies and national pay rates in job evaluation with no detriment.

College bosses don't like the sound of that and are doing everything they can to make it difficult for us. Financially troubled Forth Valley College for example spent tens of thousands of pounds at an employment tribunal trying to block our health and safety reps undertaking duties at their college. They lost but other colleges are trying the same. The employment tribunal judge ruled against them and concluded that this was designed to prevent and deter GMB reps from undertaking their role.

Although the same tribunal confirmed that we have recognition in all colleges in Scotland involved in national bargaining, some colleges are still refusing to treat us in the same way as the other unions by refusing to invite us along to college forums and providing our reps with facility time. This forces reps to do much of our work in their own time.

For any organisation in 2026 this stinks. For institutions who receive almost £800m annually from the public purse and are supposedly complying with the Scottish Government Fair Work policy to ensure employee voices are heard it is absolutely unacceptable. This is the behaviour of rogue anti trade union employers many of whom have management teams costing over £1m per annum. We believe the Scottish Government need to direct the colleges in this matter and to tell them they don't get to pick and choose which unions they will deal with.

The voice of support staff matters just as much as any overpaid principal or senior staff member. That voice also matters just as much as that of managers, students and lecturers.  That college managers are seeking to silence the voices of the lowest paid staff in the sector (the support staff) is unacceptable. Colleges are supposed to be fair work employers and the public funding they receive is conditional upon that. 

Please help by signing and sharing this petition which we will send to John Swinney;

We are demanding:
1/ Access to local consultation forums in ALL colleges.
2/ Facility time for GMB stewards in parity with other unions’ reps in the sector.
3/ An end to the anti-GMB rhetoric and behaviour by college sector leaders.