Scotland MP Patrick Harvie has called for an immediate review by the Scottish Government over the use of temporary contracts in Scotland's colleges after it was reported that 40 staff at Glasgow Kelvin College had their temporary contracts terminated.

Glasgow Kelvin College employs a number of workers on zero-hour type contracts.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told Harvie that the colleges work independently of government. She described staffing provision as an operational matter but said she expects all employers to engage meaningfully with trade unions and to treat staff fairly.

Harvie commented, “These are not some part of the private sector that we cannot regulate. These are public services and the Scottish Government funds and regulates this sector. Under the terms of the national agreement, many of these lecturers should have been moving on to permanent contracts.”

“The Scottish Government has a fair work agenda, but the use of casual contracts like this in the college sector means that they can be terminated at a moment's notice. And it's far from unique to Glasgow Kelvin College,” Harvie said.

Harvie said that the Educational Institute of Scotland, the Further Education Lecturers Association, and the UCU, which represents academic and related staff, consider the use of these casual contracts to be ‘endemic across the higher and further education sectors’.

Sturgeon said she would ask Deputy First Minister and Education Secretary John Swinney to raise the issue with the colleges sector.

A spokeswoman for Glasgow Kelvin College commented, "The college can confirm that, as has historically been custom practice throughout the Scottish further education sector, it has informed its temporary lecturers of the termination of contracts at the end of the academic session.”

"The college is currently undertaking a consultation process with teaching unions and meetings with staff and management have been taking place all this week to explore solutions which will secure the employment of all permanent staff,” the spokeswoman said.