Teaching strikes will go ahead as pay deal is rejected
Schools across Renfrewshire look set to close for another three days as teachers reject a fifth pay offer.
The Educational Institute of Scotland, which represents the bulk of unionised staff, unanimously turned down the latest offer from the Scottish Government and COSLA yesterday afternoon.
The offer was for a six per cent pay rise this year, followed by a 5.5 per cent uplift in the 2023/24 financial year.
But EIS general secretary, Andrea Bradley, called the proposal “another inadequate offer to Scotland’s teachers”.
The union had been demanding a 10 per cent rise this year.
The rejection means national strike action planned for Tuesday, February 28 and Wednesday, March 1 will go ahead.
The walk-out will mean Renfrewshire’s 60 schools and two additional support needs schools will be closed for two days.
Other strike action - planned in the constituencies of the First Minister and Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville are also expected to proceed this month.
A total of 16 days of rolling action in March will also close Renfrewshire schools for another day if no new offer is accepted before then.
Ms Bradley said the new offer represented “one per cent less of a pay cut than that previously offered when inflation was taken into account.
She said: “The suggested year two component of 5.5 per cent hasn’t been negotiated via the appropriate forum, the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), at all.
“Indeed, teaching unions haven’t even submitted our pay claim for 2023/24 yet, as a consequence of the current dispute.
“In attempting to tag on next year’s pay settlement, without any negotiation at all, the Scottish Government and COSLA are attempting to tie the hands not just of teacher trade unions but all public sector unions - and this is unacceptable to the EIS.”
She said the EIS was open to engaging in further discussions with the Scottish Government and COSLA to reach a resolution to the dispute.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville had previously said the offer would, if agreed, have seen an overall increase in pay of more than £5,000 over two years for the 70 per cent of classroom teachers who are at the top of their main grade pay scale.
She said: “While union demands for an in-year 10 per cent increase are unaffordable within the Scottish Government’s fixed budget, we have looked for compromise and we have arrived at a deal that is fair, affordable, and sustainable for everyone involved.
“The Scottish Government was supporting this new offer with additional funding of £156million.”