Scotland’s largest teaching union has today declared a dispute with Glasgow City Council over proposals to cut 450 teacher posts over three years.
The plan, which was revealed by Tes Scotland earlier this week, would entail cutting 172 teacher posts in the first year.
Now, the Glasgow branch of the EIS teaching union has set out its response to the “deep cuts” facing education in the city.
Jane Gow, EIS local association secretary for Glasgow, said: “We believe that these drastic measures will be detrimental to our pupils’ attainment, achievement and wellbeing.
“Such deep cuts to teacher numbers are also likely to lead to an increase in the number of behaviour incidents, which are already a rising concern as evidenced in recently published reports.”
Teacher wellbeing
She added: “These cuts will have an adverse effect on the sustainability of teacher workload and their wellbeing.
“The EIS seeks talks to discuss this with our employer and to look for solutions towards this dispute being resolved.”
In a letter to Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken this week, Scottish Labour education spokesperson and Glasgow MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy said the teacher cuts proposed would be “devastating” and that there had been a “lack of transparency [which] is disrespectful to pupils, staff and parents”.
A Glasgow City Council spokesperson said: “Officers have begun consultation with the relevant trade unions following the council budget published last month. A cross-party, political oversight group has been established and we will continue to engage with employees.
“Officers are looking at several education service reform options as part of a budget that required almost £108 million worth savings from council services over the next three years, not including social care.”
The spokesperson added: “For many years the city government has protected education spending, relative to other services, in the budget process.
“However, with the education budget now amounting to more than half of service expenditure directed by the council, that is significantly more challenging when substantial savings are still required.”
Councils have pointed to the pressure put on their budgets by the Scottish government’s demand that they freeze council tax, although some are refusing to do so.
‘Tipping point’
This week, Greg Dempster, general secretary of primary school leaders’ body the AHDS, said that budget cuts across Scotland “will result in a worsening position on all fronts”.
Writing for Tes Scotland, he said: “There is a risk that we are at a tipping point - and that standards will fall rapidly.”
Noting some councils’ plans to shorten pupils’ week to make ends meet, he added: “At least there is an honesty to this - it is a statement that puts quality above quantity and openly shares that things can’t go on as they are.”
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