Scotland’s largest teaching union has gathered petition signatures from 25,000 people in support of a 10 per cent pay rise for teachers.
Last month, the EIS rejected a 2.2 per cent pay deal and said its members would be ready to strike if they did not receive a fair offer.
The union delivered the petition today to the Scottish government and local authorities body Cosla.
In June, Cosla was accused by the EIS of having “a deeply disrespectful attitude to teaching staff and the process of collective bargaining” after it pulled out of a meeting of the full Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), saying it could not field a team.
In England, the NEU and the NASUWT teaching unions have both called for pay rises that reflect rising inflation levels.
In a letter addressed to education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville, and Cosla education spokesperson Katie Hagmann, EIS general secretary designate Andrea Bradley said: “Thousands of teachers and supporters have put their names to our Pay Attention petition, pledging their support for a fair pay settlement for teachers without further delay, to help protect teachers - as essential public sector workers - from the impact of rising inflation.
“The signatories of our petition are in no doubt that the significant real-terms pay cut offered by Cosla on behalf of employers last month - weeks after the date when teachers’ salaries should have seen an uplift - is far from acceptable in the current economic climate.
“They are clear that teachers, as dedicated public sector workers, do not deserve to be among the hardest hit by the crisis.”
Ms Bradley added: “A delayed and derisory 2 per cent offer comes nowhere near what is required to justly acknowledge what teachers have delivered throughout Covid and continue to deliver in response to ever-increasing demands and expectations upon them from all directions.
“In fact, it is viewed as deeply insulting by our members.”
Ms Bradley also warned that low pay, as well as an excessive workload, could push teachers out of the profession, as well as turning graduates away.
“On behalf of the EIS, I urge you, on behalf of the Scottish government, to pay attention, give serious consideration to the petition and the issues outlined, and to act accordingly to bring about a much-deserved and now much-overdue pay settlement for Scotland’s teachers,” Ms Bradley said.
A Scottish government spokesperson said: “We are committed to supporting a fair pay offer for teachers through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, the body that negotiates teachers’ pay and conditions of service. It is for local government, as the employer, to make any revised offer of pay.”
