THE all-out out strike at City of Glasgow College has reached its fourth week as workers keep up their fight against job cuts.

The industrial action, organised by further education union EIS-FELA after the college’s principal began a statutory consultation on 100 compulsory redundancies among teaching staff, has now lasted 15 days.

College leader Paul Little blamed inflation and a flat cash settlement from the SNP-Green Scottish government when he announced the plan to axe a fifth of the teaching workforce.

Mr Little, whose remuneration package tops £200,000 a year, told students last month that the situation was “unfortunate and infuriating.”

He said: “If the government cuts teaching money, then I don’t have a choice.”

Students have stood steadfastly with striking staff, supporting the daily picket outside the £228 million City of Glasgow College building alongside trade unionists from Unison, Unite and the Communication Workers Union as well as local politicians.

Striking lecturer Frances Curran, a former Scottish Socialist Party MSP, told the Star: “As we end our fourth week of indefinite strike, it’s clear Paul Little is hell-bent on forcing through 100 compulsory redundancies by the end of the term next week.

“He has totally ignored the ministerial letter directing colleges to work with trade unions and take note of the Scottish government’s Fair Work agenda.”

Ms Curran added that the college’s principal and board “must be the worst public-sector employers the country.”

She said: “The union is demanding for them to open the books and make public where the £99m is spent.

“Serious questions need to be answered when the £2.7m spent on corporate development salaries are equivalent to 65 lecturing jobs. 

“Given the college only spends 43 per cent of the budget on teaching salaries, the management’s priorities are all wrong. 

“We think colleges should be about teaching, not building corporate empires.”