The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Two days of strike action announced by teachers’ union
Teachers will take two days of targeted strike action next month in a dispute over pay, their union has announced.
Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) members were balloted for strike action after rejecting a 5% pay offer, and 90% voted for strike action on a turnout of 62%.
The SSTA said members in some local authority areas will strike on Wednesday December 7 while others will walk out on Thursday December 8.
Members of Scotland’s largest teaching union, the EIS, are due to take strike action this Thursday, November 24.
Catherine Nicol, SSTA president, said: “The executive committee felt it had no option but to move to strike action.
“The last pay offer was made on August 19 and was quickly rejected by the teacher unions. Despite a series of engagements, not even one more penny has been put on the table.
“Teachers have had enough of fine words and are being forced to take strike action.
“I hope the Scottish Government will step up and help to avoid teacher strikes that nobody wants”.
Seamus Searson, SSTA general secretary, said: “This common practice of waiting to the last minute to reach a pay agreement shows a complete lack of respect for teachers as this pay award should have been paid in April.
“Teachers’ pay has fallen in real terms by 25% over the years and the failure to act promptly only adds to frustration”.
The strike action on Wednesday December 7 will affect Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Western Isles, Glasgow, Highland, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney, Renfrewshire, Shetland, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire and West Dunbartonshire.
On Thursday December 8, SSTA members will strike in Aberdeen, Angus, Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Edinburgh, East Lothian, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, Moray, Perth and Kinross, the Borders, Stirling and West Lothian.
Education Secretary Shirley-anne Somerville said the government was “absolutely committed to supporting a fair pay offer”.
“I spoke to trades union representatives on Friday and restated that I am keen to work with Cosla, as the employers, to allow them to make a revised pay offer and avoid unnecessary strikes,” she said.
“I have been clear, however, that the Scottish Government has a fixed budget. If we are looking to fund public sector pay offers, that money must come from somewhere else in the budget.”