The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Teachers to walk out after 88% back strike action over faculties
Dundee secondary teachers have voted in favour of industrial action and set a date to strike next month.
In a ballot held by the Dundee branch of teaching union EIS, 62% of members voted and 88% of those said yes to strike action.
The strike mandate is part of the union’s Stop Faculties campaign, which hopes to overturn Dundee City Council’s plans to introduce a faculty management system – with the loss of 110 principal teacher posts.
It follows an initial consultative online ballot in March, which saw 88% of Dundee EIS members back industrial action, with a 73% turn-out.
EIS Dundee rep David Baxter said: “We have set a day of action on June 22 – the ball is in the elected politicians’ court now.
“This was an issue of the SNP council before election and now a new SNP council who have not listened to teachers – it’s the same councillors.
“They ignored us in January when we said we don’t want this and it doesn’t raise attainment. They ignored teachers when we said we wanted to strike.
“They really can’t ignore it now we have a mandate for strike action.
“The first thing the new SNP council has to do is appease teachers and remove faculty plans.”
Mr Baxter has written to council leader John Alexander asking for urgent talks to give the council “the opportunity to avert strike action”.
The faculty management system would see 110 principal teachers removed from secondary schools as part of wider changes to management structures.
Instead, faculties will create “families” of subjects headed by curriculum leaders.
Councillors in Dundee agreed the change three years ago but it was delayed due to the pandemic.
The EIS claims pupils’ learning could be disrupted as there would be fewer experienced teachers and less dedicated support.
And it says the restructure would impair teachers’ career progression, increase workload and stress, and result in less teaching time.
Mr Baxter said any financial gains made through faculties would be years down the line, after the huge costs incurred through introducing the system, which already operates in other areas of Scotland.
He said there is “no evidence” of the system cutting the attainment gap.
“They are trying to impose faculties against the will of their employees without any plan of the way it will happen or any agreements in place, and all they have done is angered their employees,” he added.
“We think the principal teacher structure is a really good structure and our colleagues around the country look at us with envy.
“What we need is more teachers, supply teachers, councillors who can support kids with the trauma of the pandemic – this isn’t nurturing.
“Teachers have continued through the pandemic. We have delivered, and what’s it all for? Nothing.
“Recruitment, bodies in classrooms, reduced class sizes, more time out of teaching to do all the things that add value – that’s what we need right now, not a new middle management system.”
Dundee City Council previously said it is “hoping and willing” to continue talks with trade unions.
However, plans to implement the structure are still in place, with a phased introduction set to begin in August. A council spokesman said: “All but two of Scotland’s 32 local authorities already have a faculty structure in place.
“Although a decision was taken to move to faculties in all secondary schools, it was agreed that head teachers – in consultation with their teachers and in partnership with senior officers – would decide on a faculty structure which best supports their school’s curriculum, leadership, and management requirements working within delegated staffing budgets.
“It is now important to move forward with plans to support educational recovery and increase progress in improving outcomes, which include implementing our head teachers’ faculty structures, which will not mean any reduction in teacher fulltime equivalent (FTE) in any school.
“Additional funding is also being used to enhance both the core and additional support needs teaching staff formula, leading to an increase in teacher FTE across our secondary schools.
“Preparations are now under way to support each secondary school to move to their new faculty structure on a phased basis from August 2022.
“Officers have met regularly over the past three years with local trade union representatives.
“There have been ongoing changes to proposals and structures because of feedback from trade unions during these planned meetings”