A pay deal has been reached for Scotland’s 6,000 college support staff.

Member of trade unions Unison, Unite and GMB voted in favour of a two-and-a-half year deal following negotiations with Colleges Scotland Employers’ Association.

The unions said it would see pay rise by a minimum of £1,600 over a 29-month period.

Patricia Murray of Unison said: “This deal will see over 40% of our members get a pay rise in each of two years of between 3% and 4.1%, with gains of up to £170 beyond government pay policy at the lower end of the scales.

“It puts £1600 minimum into pay packets, with pay outs in November 2018, April 2019, and April 2020.”

Shona Struthers, chief executive of Colleges Scotland Employers’ Association, added: “This agreement is the culmination of a lot of hard work, serious negotiations and compromise by both parties and has delivered the best possible, affordable pay rises and improvements in conditions of service.

“This deal represents a £14 million investment in support staff and is a significant milestone for national bargaining which provides long-term stability and certainty for support staff in colleges across Scotland.”