:00:09. > :00:13.The Cabinet Secretary will take questions at the end of the
:00:14. > :00:19.statement. No interventions. I will ask any members who wish to ask
:00:20. > :00:24.questions, press the request to speak buttons as soon as. -- as soon
:00:25. > :00:41.as possible. I call on John Swinney. Over the
:00:42. > :00:44.last ten years, the Government has been implementing an ambitious
:00:45. > :00:49.programme to reform post-16 education. The purpose has been
:00:50. > :00:52.clear and consistent. To create a national sector more efficient and
:00:53. > :00:57.effective and able to meet stretching measures and outcomes. We
:00:58. > :01:01.remain committed to creating a sector better suited to the national
:01:02. > :01:03.pretties, including the delivery of skills and opportunities
:01:04. > :01:09.particularly for young people to meet the needs and the economy. I am
:01:10. > :01:13.confident our colleges have a clear focus on delivering skilled
:01:14. > :01:17.workforce for the regions and have developed new and enhanced
:01:18. > :01:22.relationships with employers around curriculum planning, work experience
:01:23. > :01:26.and employability skills. Delivering the right curriculum in the right
:01:27. > :01:30.place has been critical to this development, alongside significantly
:01:31. > :01:32.improved partnership arrangements with local authorities,
:01:33. > :01:37.universities, schools and community planning partnerships. The focus is
:01:38. > :01:40.now very much on full-time learning opportunities leading to recognised
:01:41. > :01:44.qualifications and employment, particularly for young people. The
:01:45. > :01:50.evidence increasingly demonstrates this approach is working. The number
:01:51. > :01:59.of full-time funded students aged 16-24 has increased by over 11%
:02:00. > :02:05.since 2006-7. Unemployment is third lowest in the European Union. In
:02:06. > :02:09.2015-16, almost 4000 more students successfully completed full-time
:02:10. > :02:15.courses in both further and higher education, leading to recognised
:02:16. > :02:25.qualifications, than in 2008-2009. Colleges are also delivering for
:02:26. > :02:29.students over 25 and over. The sector has also delivered for women
:02:30. > :02:35.with the number in full-time courses up by over 12% over the same period.
:02:36. > :02:40.Our colleges play a key role in our success in higher education, over
:02:41. > :02:43.41% of all full-time college activity in 2015-16 was in higher
:02:44. > :02:50.education, the highest proportion ever. Colleges are playing a crucial
:02:51. > :02:54.role in widening access. Many students from the most challenging
:02:55. > :02:59.backgrounds begin post-16 education in college. Over 16% of college
:03:00. > :03:05.provision goes to students from the 10% most deprived areas in 2014-15
:03:06. > :03:09.and over 29% of all students came from the 20% most deprived
:03:10. > :03:13.communities. These are real achievements for our colleges to be
:03:14. > :03:17.proud of. Staff, lecturing and support, and the students have all
:03:18. > :03:23.helped to make this happening. I am in no doubt our college sector is
:03:24. > :03:26.better placed than ever to enable students to flourish and succeed and
:03:27. > :03:31.to build the workforce Scotland's employees need now and in the
:03:32. > :03:35.future. As we move forward, the colleges must continue to develop
:03:36. > :03:39.and innovate to deliver the type of learning society, the economy and
:03:40. > :03:41.individuals need for the future. I know all college staff and leaders
:03:42. > :03:48.are committed to this ambitious programme of change and improvement.
:03:49. > :03:53.I appreciate we have seen significantly restructuring of the
:03:54. > :03:57.sector to deliver high-quality further and higher education.
:03:58. > :04:03.College staff have played the full part in securing the necessary and
:04:04. > :04:08.beneficial changes and I want to commend them for their commitment. I
:04:09. > :04:13.also understand the is more to be done to secure the vision we have
:04:14. > :04:17.fought a world-class college sector. We agreed with college employers and
:04:18. > :04:21.staff from the outset that a harmonised approach to play, terms
:04:22. > :04:25.and conditions for lecturers and support staff was integral to
:04:26. > :04:30.creating a modern flexible sector. We agreed that this would best be
:04:31. > :04:32.delivered by a system of national bargaining that rightly places
:04:33. > :04:36.responsibility for reaching agreement with representatives of
:04:37. > :04:39.employers and staff through the national joint negotiating
:04:40. > :04:43.committee. The present dispute has its roots in the agreement reached
:04:44. > :04:49.last March by that national joint negotiating committee and a
:04:50. > :04:51.disagreement between the College employers Association on the
:04:52. > :04:58.relationship between pay and terms and conditions. On page, the precise
:04:59. > :05:02.levels of increase will vary depending on personal circumstances,
:05:03. > :05:05.the agreement already reached will see all unpromoted lecturing staff
:05:06. > :05:11.receive an average pay rise of 9% over a three-year period. This means
:05:12. > :05:17.unpromoted staff will now earn up to 40,000 and ?26 per year, at the top
:05:18. > :05:21.of the salary scale. Whilst some details remain to be resolved, that
:05:22. > :05:27.part of the agreement has been in place. The. What has not been agreed
:05:28. > :05:33.the terms and conditions. -- in place for some time. They agree in
:05:34. > :05:39.principle to harmonisation, but the nature of the harmonisation is
:05:40. > :05:43.disputed. The employers are clear that a national pay award has to be
:05:44. > :05:48.linked to agreement on harmonised terms and conditions, but another
:05:49. > :05:53.organisation maintains a should be set. Staff teaching hours and
:05:54. > :05:57.annually should be the same across the country instead of varying from
:05:58. > :06:01.college to college as they do now, they disagree on what the harmonised
:06:02. > :06:06.terms and conditions should be. Two key issues, the number of core
:06:07. > :06:11.teaching hours and the number of annual leave days. The employers
:06:12. > :06:19.have proposed up to 24 hours per week of core teaching time for the
:06:20. > :06:25.majority of lecturers. The AIS has proposed up to 22. The union does
:06:26. > :06:30.not accept this. On annual leave, the employers have offered the
:06:31. > :06:35.existing staff retain current entitlement without change while new
:06:36. > :06:40.staff would have 56 days per year. That can one has proposed 64 days
:06:41. > :06:46.per year for all lecturers with no detriment for existing staff. This
:06:47. > :06:49.dispute is not about pay, with the issues of core teaching hours and
:06:50. > :06:55.annual leave being among the most difficult to resolve. Talks have
:06:56. > :06:57.been under way for some time. The Minister for further education,
:06:58. > :07:02.higher education and science has met each side on several occasions over
:07:03. > :07:06.the last six months to encourage and facilitate a resolution. Over the
:07:07. > :07:11.past few weeks, the sides have made welcome progress but a settlement
:07:12. > :07:15.has not yet been reached. We remain in the middle of a period of strike
:07:16. > :07:19.action which is having an impact on students. Four days have already
:07:20. > :07:25.been lost to strikes since the end of last month with a further two
:07:26. > :07:27.days planned for this week. They plan to escalate the action to three
:07:28. > :07:32.strike days a week until the beginning of next month. That
:07:33. > :07:36.escalation will see the impact on students deepen and harden, with
:07:37. > :07:40.some at real risk in this crucial end of year period of not being able
:07:41. > :07:49.to progress to future years study or qualify. That is not acceptable to
:07:50. > :07:52.me. I therefore decided alongside the Minister for further education,
:07:53. > :07:55.higher education and science, we decided to formally intervene and we
:07:56. > :08:00.met with both sides separately on Sunday evening to this effect.
:08:01. > :08:04.Through this interaction, we actively sought a way forward that
:08:05. > :08:08.allows both sides to work constructively for a solution so the
:08:09. > :08:13.sector can focus on delivering the education it students have a right
:08:14. > :08:17.to expect. There are five key elements to this intervention.
:08:18. > :08:20.Firstly, I emphasised in both meetings my serious concerns about
:08:21. > :08:24.the detrimental and disruptive impact of the current dispute on
:08:25. > :08:29.students and this should be to the fore of all of our thinking.
:08:30. > :08:33.Secondly, I insisted a robust evidence base was needed to
:08:34. > :08:42.establish baselines on the issues of key importance, the annual leave and
:08:43. > :08:46.contact time, so that it could be fairly assessed. Without this, and
:08:47. > :08:50.undisputed understanding of the current terms and conditions of
:08:51. > :08:54.lecturers, there is no prospect for agreement. Thirdly, in both
:08:55. > :08:58.meetings, I reaffirmed the Government's absolute commitment to
:08:59. > :09:03.securing national bargaining, I know there is a concern on the part of
:09:04. > :09:05.unions that the employers are not committed to national bargaining, I
:09:06. > :09:10.therefore made it crystal clear to the employers Association my firm
:09:11. > :09:15.expectation that they would act collectively to deliver national
:09:16. > :09:18.bargaining. Fourthly, most significantly, I informed the union
:09:19. > :09:24.and the employers that I was making a significant change to the way that
:09:25. > :09:27.talks will be conducted from now on. We are placing a Scottish Government
:09:28. > :09:31.appointed mediator in the talks, charged with seeking to help the
:09:32. > :09:36.parties to break the deadlock. A highly respected Queens council and
:09:37. > :09:41.widely recognised as a leading mediator and facilitator. As an
:09:42. > :09:45.independent guide to the process, he will now facilitate the talks in an
:09:46. > :09:50.effort to bring about improved relations between both parties,
:09:51. > :09:53.encourage effective communication and respectful dialogue, help
:09:54. > :09:55.identify options for progress, and work with the parties to try to
:09:56. > :10:10.break the logjam. Speak Anglo and followed while this
:10:11. > :10:14.process of active dispute resolution is in progress. I asked that the
:10:15. > :10:18.union give this careful consideration following our meeting,
:10:19. > :10:22.and I reiterate that the quest to date. Presiding officer, I want this
:10:23. > :10:25.dispute to end, and I want agreement to be reached on harmonising pay and
:10:26. > :10:34.conditions from college staff tonight 's customer -- through
:10:35. > :10:39.national bargaining. For us to directly intervene would be the end
:10:40. > :10:42.of national bargaining. I am not prepared to consider that. I
:10:43. > :10:48.therefore aren't both parties to find common ground and achieve an
:10:49. > :10:52.agreement. This will enable all to move forward together to the benefit
:10:53. > :11:01.of this sector and its students, the students and colleges deserve
:11:02. > :11:11.nothing less. There will now be around 20 minutes for questions. Can
:11:12. > :11:16.I think the Cabinet Secretary for early sight of the statement. Can I
:11:17. > :11:20.also restate the Scottish Conservative's very strong
:11:21. > :11:28.condemnation of the strike action taken place. I'm sure I'm not the
:11:29. > :11:32.only parliamentary who has received letters from constituents very angry
:11:33. > :11:37.about the action taking place, especially at this crucial time of
:11:38. > :11:42.exams. My first question is to as what discussions the Minister is
:11:43. > :11:46.having with the colleges to ensure that and the marking of these exams,
:11:47. > :11:51.consideration is been given to the circumstances of the industrial
:11:52. > :11:57.action. Secondly, on page eight the Cabinet surgery has earned very
:11:58. > :12:00.robust evidence for the baseline. Given the nature of this very
:12:01. > :12:04.long-running dispute and the commitments the Scottish Government
:12:05. > :12:07.originally made, can I ask why has taken over a year for him to make
:12:08. > :12:13.this call for evidence which would clearly be so crucial to dissolve
:12:14. > :12:17.the dispute. Finally, what timescale has been put in place for this
:12:18. > :12:26.baseline evidence to be put in place by both sides of that mediation can
:12:27. > :12:30.be effective. First of all, Ken ICT Liz Smith... And I note that as
:12:31. > :12:33.several things she has to say from her perspective as a Conservative
:12:34. > :12:38.education spokesman, but my perspective in this is to resolve
:12:39. > :12:43.this dispute, because of the effect it is having on student and their
:12:44. > :12:47.well-being and their prospects, and that is what is driving the actions
:12:48. > :12:50.that I take forward, and that is why I want to secure an agreement
:12:51. > :12:59.between both parties to resolve these issues. Secondly, on the
:13:00. > :13:02.questions of marking of examinations and other material, I know that
:13:03. > :13:11.college staff, despite the fact that they are out on strike, I working in
:13:12. > :13:16.many ways beyond some of the normal arrangements to put in place the
:13:17. > :13:20.type of support and assistance that tries to minimise the effect of the
:13:21. > :13:23.industrial action on student, and, this, the best way to minimise the
:13:24. > :13:29.effect on student as for the strike to end so that the education process
:13:30. > :13:33.can return to normal. On the question of baseline evidence, and I
:13:34. > :13:39.have in front of me baseline evidence that is provided to me
:13:40. > :13:46.which indicates, for example, that if the number of hours of court
:13:47. > :13:49.class contact time was set at 24 hours, five colleges would see an
:13:50. > :13:55.increase in the number of out of hours that are taught. If there was
:13:56. > :13:58.set at 22 hours, 18 colleges would see a reduction in the number of
:13:59. > :14:03.hours that are taught, so I have that information in front of me, but
:14:04. > :14:09.that is disputed by their trade union within the dispute. So, what I
:14:10. > :14:13.think, and what became very clear to me in my discussions at the weekend,
:14:14. > :14:22.was that unless there is an evidence base line to put that material
:14:23. > :14:27.together, that is accepted across-the-board, that cannot be a
:14:28. > :14:34.source of dispute, there is no prospect of agreement. It is not the
:14:35. > :14:38.Government's responsibility. This is a process of bargaining between two
:14:39. > :14:42.sides, between the employers and the trade union, and it is a type of
:14:43. > :14:46.work that I would expect it to be undertaken and agreed to facilitate
:14:47. > :14:49.the process, so the fact that I have now had to intervene to make that
:14:50. > :14:55.happen is a matter of regret. Finally, in relation to the
:14:56. > :15:01.deadlines, John Sturrock comments his work, at my request, at short
:15:02. > :15:05.notice yesterday, and their work is going on today to assemble the
:15:06. > :15:10.baseline evidence, to enable a swift progress to be made as soon as
:15:11. > :15:15.possible, and I can assure the smirk that all urgency will be applied to
:15:16. > :15:21.that process. But I reiterate the point that I have made. The
:15:22. > :15:24.Government has made an unwavering commitment to national bargaining,
:15:25. > :15:27.so that be no doubt the national bargaining is here to stay. We have
:15:28. > :15:32.put in place a system which is designed to break the impasse, and I
:15:33. > :15:35.therefore think there is every justification and reason why the
:15:36. > :15:43.industrial action should be suspended to enable these talks to
:15:44. > :15:51.take their course. Thank you to the Cabinet Secretary for Ellis site.
:15:52. > :15:55.This is the tenth anniversary of SNP Government here, and, my goodness,
:15:56. > :15:59.those who work in colleges have suffered even more than most at
:16:00. > :16:07.their hands. They have seen their colleges forced to merge, workplaces
:16:08. > :16:12.displaced across cities are regions, budgets slashed, thousands of their
:16:13. > :16:16.colleagues, 150,000 of their students disappear from the sector
:16:17. > :16:27.altogether. Indeed, the only positive thing was national pay and
:16:28. > :16:31.conditions. Equal pay and terms were doing the same job for ever the
:16:32. > :16:37.work. That is a pretty basic fairness. But as the statement, they
:16:38. > :16:41.are still waiting. It is a disgrace that they have had no option but to
:16:42. > :16:47.strike, with all the impact that has had on students, just to get
:16:48. > :16:52.Ministers attention. For months, we have called on ministers to
:16:53. > :16:56.intervene, honour the promise, and see the deal honoured. While the
:16:57. > :17:00.Cabinet Secretary simply apologise to college lecturers and their
:17:01. > :17:03.students were taking so long to intervene and apologise to
:17:04. > :17:16.Parliament for bringing as a process instead of a resolution to this
:17:17. > :17:20.dispute. Iain Gray of as the paid no attention whatsoever to the point I
:17:21. > :17:25.made in my statement about the achievements of the Father education
:17:26. > :17:31.sector and quite a number of full-time students has increased by
:17:32. > :17:37.over 33%, that the sector is involving more full-time courses for
:17:38. > :17:41.women, that we have secured the third lowest use our deployment rate
:17:42. > :17:47.in the European Union, and young people are going through courses. It
:17:48. > :17:52.is just part of the ongoing, relentless narrative that Mr Gray
:17:53. > :17:58.wants to peddle was can see nothing positive that is existing in
:17:59. > :18:02.Scotland. So, Mr Gray can say all that he wants on these things, but
:18:03. > :18:10.that the deal stands the test of time. I want to directly counter Mr
:18:11. > :18:16.Gray's question and point about strike action being required to get
:18:17. > :18:22.Minister 's attention. Ministers have been involved in discussion for
:18:23. > :18:25.some time with both sides. The education minister has been
:18:26. > :18:28.undertaking that work to encourage a process of national bargaining,
:18:29. > :18:33.which is a process of dialogue between the employers and the trade
:18:34. > :18:39.unions, and that is exactly what we have tried to do, and we encourage
:18:40. > :18:46.the parties to resolve that. I would have thought, if this Gray was
:18:47. > :18:53.remotely interested in the education of students and our country...
:18:54. > :18:58.Remotely interested... Absolutely remotely interested, because he
:18:59. > :19:01.never demonstrate any interest whatsoever in it, he would have
:19:02. > :19:05.welcomed the fact that the Government was intervening to bring
:19:06. > :19:09.this matter to her head in the fashion that we are doing. So I
:19:10. > :19:12.simply say to Mr Gray, perhaps you should focus on the outcomes that
:19:13. > :19:22.can be achieved within our colleges and not come here with a diatribe of
:19:23. > :19:28.complaints which helps nobody. If they can make some progress through
:19:29. > :19:34.the rest of the questions here. Deputy First Minister, my immediate
:19:35. > :19:44.concern is sexier students and families, not employers are unions.
:19:45. > :19:48.-- six year students. Can I have information on how this detrimental
:19:49. > :19:52.impact can be mitigated by colleges, and what support can be given to
:19:53. > :19:57.individual student constituents who is on a path into employment or
:19:58. > :20:04.university are currently been jeopardised. Others that I encourage
:20:05. > :20:09.the colleges to take every step to ensure that there is no disruption
:20:10. > :20:13.to the education of students, and as I indicated in my statement and in
:20:14. > :20:18.my earlier answer to lust but that there are measures being taken to
:20:19. > :20:24.support young people and ensure they are able to secure the necessary
:20:25. > :20:30.support that is required. An relation to some of this pacific
:20:31. > :20:35.examination issues. 1541 students sat there higher examine colleges
:20:36. > :20:41.last and colleges affected major those exams are able to happen as
:20:42. > :20:43.planned, and they continue to insure students undertaking ST eight
:20:44. > :20:47.qualifications at this time that they will be provided for, and that
:20:48. > :20:55.no student will have their exams interrupted. In addition, the
:20:56. > :20:59.employers Association has issued comprehensive cadence on the
:21:00. > :21:07.practical steps colleges should take to medic scatter mitigate any
:21:08. > :21:11.effects. Teaching at any level is a great privilege, but with the Deputy
:21:12. > :21:15.First Minister not agree with me that the overriding professional
:21:16. > :21:20.duty on all teachers is to act at all times in the best interests of
:21:21. > :21:24.their students, and given this industrial action is manifestly
:21:25. > :21:28.contrary to student's best interest, the union to call it off immediately
:21:29. > :21:34.and apologise for the harm their action has already caused to
:21:35. > :21:40.Scotland's college students. Perhaps slightly more bluntly than Liz Smith
:21:41. > :21:44.did it, you have said what you have had to say on these matters. I take
:21:45. > :21:50.the view that the best thing that Parliament can do is encourage both
:21:51. > :21:54.sides to seek a resolution, and what I have done, and what the Minister
:21:55. > :22:00.has done, is put in place a process of resolving this dispute on a basis
:22:01. > :22:05.of evidence and dialogue, to ensure that the education of young people
:22:06. > :22:12.is not interrupted in any way. What the proposals that I have put on the
:22:13. > :22:16.table at their weekend are designed to do is to provide a means of
:22:17. > :22:21.taking that cause that would see the industrial action suspended to
:22:22. > :22:25.enable discussions to take place in an environment which I think could
:22:26. > :22:29.be successful, and ensure that young people are able to secure the
:22:30. > :22:37.education that they deserve. That is the approach that the Government
:22:38. > :22:40.Baltic and advancing this issue. I welcome the First Minister's
:22:41. > :22:46.statement. Can I ask him about support staff in colleges? And can
:22:47. > :22:50.you advise what progress is being made to harmonising their terms and
:22:51. > :23:00.conditions. I must refer members to my register of interests. There is
:23:01. > :23:07.an ongoing process to ensure that the support staff unions are part of
:23:08. > :23:12.the process to secure harmonisation. And meeting is scheduled to take
:23:13. > :23:21.place this coming Thursday, and it will look at issues around job
:23:22. > :23:24.evaluation, pay claims and work plans, and a minister recently met
:23:25. > :23:30.with support staff unions as part of her engagement and this whole
:23:31. > :23:34.process. I want to put on record my thanks to Unison and other support
:23:35. > :23:37.staff for the patient and willingness to engage in a national
:23:38. > :23:40.bargaining process, and we will continue our dialogue to ensure that
:23:41. > :23:48.they are fully participating in this process. Thank you. Given that he
:23:49. > :23:52.has asked the EIS to call off the planned strike action, can the
:23:53. > :23:56.Cabinet Secretary tell me why he hasn't directly as the employers to
:23:57. > :24:02.implement the first part of the pay deal which was agreed to be paid on
:24:03. > :24:08.the 1st of April 2017. As an act of good food so that the ongoing strike
:24:09. > :24:13.action can be suspended? I will remind the gallery that all public
:24:14. > :24:15.members are welcome to join the proceedings, but not to applaud or
:24:16. > :24:30.intervene in any way. Both parties agreed to jointly
:24:31. > :24:34.develop it record up towards a harmonised workforce for the future
:24:35. > :24:38.which includes reducing the subsequent points to salary and also
:24:39. > :24:43.terms and conditions. The obligation is both parties to agree all about.
:24:44. > :24:47.That is the process that both parties must take part in and must
:24:48. > :24:55.resolve of national bargaining is to prevail. That is what the position
:24:56. > :25:00.of the Government has been throughout this process. If we
:25:01. > :25:04.require individual parties in this dispute to agree to certain terms
:25:05. > :25:10.and conditions we break national bargaining. I think that would be an
:25:11. > :25:13.undesirable move because she would set back the process of national
:25:14. > :25:21.bargaining which has been an important reform that the Government
:25:22. > :25:24.has been determined to put in place. I should declare I have a family
:25:25. > :25:30.member on strike today due to this dispute. As has already been
:25:31. > :25:36.mentioned, a number of students have got in touch with every member here.
:25:37. > :25:40.Every e-mail I received was to request from a student for the
:25:41. > :25:43.lecturer to get the page deserved, not undermining the lecturers in
:25:44. > :25:48.this dispute. A fair pay deal was agreed last year. The Deputy First
:25:49. > :25:53.Minister has outlined the importance of the strike ending. The EIS have
:25:54. > :25:59.maybe offered the Mac thing is though that the strike action would
:26:00. > :26:05.be suspended FTP deal was delivered. Surely they should be recommending
:26:06. > :26:09.that the agreement be taken and then negotiate on terms and conditions. I
:26:10. > :26:15.prefer Ross Greer back to what I said in my answer to Monica Lennon,
:26:16. > :26:20.the agreement of March 2016 in which there is an obligation to develop a
:26:21. > :26:24.road map for a harmonised future, jointly developed, that includes
:26:25. > :26:29.issues on pages and dashed on pay and terms and conditions. Advancing
:26:30. > :26:34.on all of these conditions, and resolving all of these questions
:26:35. > :26:38.allowed people to get there be and to get back to work. All of these
:26:39. > :26:43.issues have to be resolved. That is what I appealed to both parties to
:26:44. > :26:49.do, to ensure that only secure the necessary agreement to enable the
:26:50. > :26:53.pay increases to be delivered, the terms and conditions to be applied
:26:54. > :27:01.and most importantly, the students in colleges to be able to have
:27:02. > :27:04.access to the education resources. Can I thank the Deputy First
:27:05. > :27:09.Minister for the statement and the advanced copy of it. John Swinney
:27:10. > :27:12.would have to accept the bid has nothing positive about the strike
:27:13. > :27:17.affecting students and lecturers across Scotland in the strike. It is
:27:18. > :27:20.on his watch after ten years of his Government. He said he had no
:27:21. > :27:25.responsibility for the baseline data, why is that the position given
:27:26. > :27:30.that this started with his own statement, in March of last year, 14
:27:31. > :27:39.months ago. I'm not an intervention earlier? For the very reason that
:27:40. > :27:43.they have been indulging the process of national bargaining. That is what
:27:44. > :27:47.national bargaining is about, it is about the employers and the trade
:27:48. > :27:51.unions working collaboratively and together to resolve these issues and
:27:52. > :27:56.put in place the necessary information that allows that to be
:27:57. > :28:02.the case. We have encouraged or the regular bases progress on the
:28:03. > :28:06.question of national bargaining and the resolution of these issues.
:28:07. > :28:11.Fundamentally, national bargaining ceases to exist demand that the
:28:12. > :28:15.Government begins specifying what are the terms of agreements to be
:28:16. > :28:18.reached. What we are doing is facilitating the process of that
:28:19. > :28:21.agreement and that is what I am setting out and encouraging both
:28:22. > :28:29.parties to follow as part of statement today. The Deputy First
:28:30. > :28:32.Minister has indicated that the agreement on pay was reached last
:28:33. > :28:37.year with an average of the 9% increase. Can he provide some
:28:38. > :28:44.further detail on what of that agreement actually means for
:28:45. > :28:49.lecturing staff? As I indicated in my statement, it will be possible
:28:50. > :28:56.under the pea agreement that all unpromoted lecturing staff will earn
:28:57. > :29:01.up to ?40,026 per year at the top of the salary scale. It is useful to
:29:02. > :29:06.note that the 9% increase in pay as the average, zero lecturing staff
:29:07. > :29:10.member will lose paid as a result of harmonisation. Admittedly, some will
:29:11. > :29:14.stay the same. For many, the increase in pay will be
:29:15. > :29:18.substantially more than 9%. There will be an application of that to
:29:19. > :29:26.individual circumstances as part of the process. Unlike a bass player,
:29:27. > :29:32.the students who have contacted me are deeply concerned about what is
:29:33. > :29:34.going to happen. I welcome the remark from the Cabinet Secretary
:29:35. > :29:40.that he made about intervening in that. The students who contacted me
:29:41. > :29:45.are concerned about assessments that should have already taken place. But
:29:46. > :29:49.haven't taken place because of previous strike action that has
:29:50. > :29:53.already occurred. What assurances can you give to my constituents and
:29:54. > :29:58.people across Scotland that any assessment that is not taken place
:29:59. > :30:03.will not then mean that a lower mark will occur in the final grade? There
:30:04. > :30:13.is discussion is that Will Beatty had in colleges -- that will be had.
:30:14. > :30:18.To ensure that we are there has been the issue of industrial action, that
:30:19. > :30:20.is not detrimental to the educational opportunities and
:30:21. > :30:26.possibilities of young people in colleges. If you are concerns we
:30:27. > :30:33.will try to squeeze in three members. It is my understanding that
:30:34. > :30:38.a harmonisation process through national bargaining needs to involve
:30:39. > :30:43.both sides willingly moving towards each other but my possessions. By
:30:44. > :30:50.its very nature, harmonisation also involves compromise from both sides.
:30:51. > :30:54.Can the Deputy First Minister provide more detail on the
:30:55. > :31:00.respectable positions at how these have shifted during negotiations to
:31:01. > :31:04.reach a compromise? I indicated in my statement that there has been
:31:05. > :31:09.movement and compromise by both sides and some progress has been
:31:10. > :31:12.made. It is not progress that has allowed us to get to a resolution
:31:13. > :31:18.which is why I have taken the action that I have to try to close the
:31:19. > :31:23.remaining gaps and to resolve the dispute. I agree in principle with
:31:24. > :31:31.Mr MacDonald's pointer that there is an important emphasis on the entire
:31:32. > :31:35.question of dialogue to ensure this process of national bargaining can
:31:36. > :31:43.be successful. What will John Sturrock be able to achieve that
:31:44. > :31:48.ACCAS could not and how much will it cost the public purse? I am willing
:31:49. > :31:54.to spend the money to resolve the issue rather than doing nothing. I
:31:55. > :32:02.am always mindful of the importance of the public purse to ensure...
:32:03. > :32:06.Anna Sarwar as accusing us of doing nothing for months and then when we
:32:07. > :32:11.do something, Mr Johnson accuses us of spending public money. This is a
:32:12. > :32:17.disgrace of interventions that they come up. We will get involved in the
:32:18. > :32:21.process to resolve it, Mr Johnston. Any nice gestures of support from
:32:22. > :32:31.the Labour Party would be helpful in the process but we not holding our
:32:32. > :32:35.breath that. Can the Deputy First Minister advise how the proposed
:32:36. > :32:38.terms and conditions and in particular the changes to annual
:32:39. > :32:45.leave that are compare to other roles in the public sector? There
:32:46. > :32:48.will be comparisons of the different arrangements that will Beatty from
:32:49. > :32:53.sector to sector. What is important is that we focus on the evidence and
:32:54. > :32:59.the sector to find the common base and unable to resolve these
:33:00. > :33:02.questions to ensure the strike comes to a conclusion and the dispute is
:33:03. > :33:07.resolved and we can implement national bargaining which is the
:33:08. > :33:09.objective of the Government. I thank all members for participation.