Teachers hint at strike action

Teachers have signalled they could take strike action unless there are moves taken to increase pay – with union chiefs demanding urgent action from government.

The EIS, Scotland’s largest teaching union, is to mount a campaign to restore teachers’ salaries to the values set out in the McCrone agreement on pay and conditions.

The union’s AGM in Perth backed a motion saying failure to reach a deal on this would result in them balloting members on industrial action – including strike action – that could hit schools in the academic year 2018-19.

Larry Flanagan, EIS general secretary, said the “soaring workload” teachers have to deal with, together with “recruitment challenges” facing the profession meant that teachers must be paid “an appropriate level”.

As the issue was debated, Helen Connor, the EIS salaries convener, said: “We’ll be out on industrial action if we don’t get action on pay.”

Members at the AGM passed a motion instructing the union to “prepare a campaign to restore salaries to the values of the McCrone settlement, based on inflation figures, and to negotiate on this basis for next year’s pay settlement”.

It added: “Failure to reach agreement would result in a ballot of members, to begin a campaign of industrial action including strike action, from the start of the academic year in 2018-19.”

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “We are absolutely committed to freeing up teachers to do what they do best – teach – and have already acted to reduce teachers’ workload. Teachers’ pay and conditions are matters for the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers. Negotiations are currently ongoing and the Scottish Government will play its part in that process.”