§ Mr. Hector Hughesasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he is aware that the salary scales now proposed for Scottish technical colleges are not satisfactory to the colleges concerned, that the recommendations and objections of the staff associations have not been given adequate effect or attention, that the machinery of joint consultation between the relevant staffs and their governors is unsatisfactory and ineffective, and that as a result there is dissatisfaction among the staffs; and if he will now investigate these grievances 17W and take immediate steps to remedy them.
§ Mr. MaclayThe governing bodies of Robert Cordon's Technical College, Aberdeen, Dundee Technical College, the Heriot-Watt College, Edinburgh and Paisley Technical College, after considering the recommendations of their staff associations, made proposals for new scales to the associations in April. These have been accepted by the staff of the Heriot-Watt College. The staff associations of the remaining three do not regard them as acceptable and I have carefully considered their criticisms. I am not satisfied that the changes they suggest are justified but I am inviting the governing bodies to discuss the matter with my officials.
As regards the question of joint consultation, representatives of the governing bodies and the staff associations met the industrial relations officer of the Ministry of Labour on 2nd July to consider the possibility of setting up joint machinery to negotiate scales before they are submitted for my approval. Two of the governing bodies and three of the staff associations indicated their willingness to participate in such machinery. The representatives of the remaining two governing bodies and one staff association undertook to have the proposal considered further by the bodies they represented. While it would not be proper for me to intervene in this matter which is one for agreement between the governing bodies and the staffs with the help of the Industrial Relations Officer, I certainly hope that the discussions will lead to the setting up of satisfactory negotiating machinery.