SQA staff reassurance over redundancy
Staff at the soon-defunct exams body the Scottish Qualifications Authority (Sqa)havebeentoldbyeducation secretary Shirleyanne Somerville that there will be no compulsory redundancies when the agency is scrapped.
Mssomervillegaveacommitment that there will be no compulsory redundancies as a direct result of any restructuring required due to the replacement of the SQA following an announcement from union Unite that more than 84 per cent of their consulted members said they would consider industrial action. The Education Secretary also said she expected staff terms and conditions to be protected throughout the reform process.
Mssomervillesaid:“ihave said consistently that I fully appreciatethatsqastaffare understandably concerned about the future, and that I am grateful for the hugely important work that everyonedoes.wearecommitted to continuing to work with SQA management to lead staff through this challenging time.”
Earlier this month, union Unite warned that workers at the SQA could strike, potentially disrupting this year’s exams.
Alison Maclean, Unite industrial officer, claimed there had been a breach in “fair work principles” by the SQA and Scottish Government. She said: “The dispute which Unite has with the SQA is not over in any way, shape or form.
The exams body is to be broken up and replaced, with pupils, parents and teachers to be consulted on changes. Responsibility for school inspections will be split off to a new independent system.
The changes come after two years of disrupted exams as a result of Covid.