New wave of teacher pay strikes begins in Scotland

Teachers showing ‘growing frustration at the lack of urgency’ over long-running pay dispute

16th January 2023, 1:25pm

New wave of teacher pay strikes begins in Scotland

picture: Copyright notice: PA Wire/PA Images Picture by: Jane Barlow

A new round of pay strikes started in Scotland today, with teachers in two different local authorities walking out for each of the next 16 days.

Unless the strike action is called off, schools in each of Scotland’s 32 local authorities will be affected for one day between now and Monday 6 February (see below for the full schedule of the new wave of strike action that begins today).

The first two councils affected are Glasgow, where all schools are closed, and East Lothian, where they are shut to all pupils apart from those taking preliminary exams.

Related: EIS announces 22 more days of strike action in Scotland
Meanwhile in England: Teacher strikes could launch next month
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EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley has said she hopes to get back around the negotiating table later this week.

However, speaking on BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme today, she said: “Morale is high but, obviously, there’s a growing frustration at the lack of urgency being shown by the Scottish government and [local authorities body] Cosla to settle this dispute.

“[Teachers] are having to take strike action in freezing temperatures. This is not action that they should be having to take, it’s simply to achieve a fair pay settlement.”

Members of the EIS union and the primary school leaders’ body AHDS are leading the 16 days of rolling strike action that started today, with teachers in two of Scotland’s 32 local authority areas walking out each day until Monday 6 February.

The action is going ahead after talks last week involving the Scottish government, local authority leaders and teaching unions did not lead to a new pay offer.

EIS members have previously taken three days of strike action - one in November and two in January - while members of other teaching unions also walked out on those days in January and on two dates in December.

Unions have rejected a pay offer amounting to 5 per cent for the majority of teachers and up to 6.85 per cent (for probationer teachers), but Ms Bradley said today that the highest rate would go to just 8.4 per cent of teachers, many of whom fail to secure permanent work after their probationary year.

Education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has repeatedly insisted that the 10 per cent offer teachers are campaigning for is unaffordable.

On Friday, the EIS announced a further 22 days of strike action, starting at the end of February, in an escalation of the dispute.

Schools around the country were shut on 10 and 11 January as members of the EIS, NASUWT, Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) and AHDS took strike action. It came after SSTA and NASUWT members took two days of strike action in December, following a historic national strike led by EIS members on 24 November.

Ms Somerville said: “Strikes in our schools are in no one’s interest - including for pupils, parents and carers who have already had to deal with significant disruption over the past three years.

“It is disappointing that the EIS has proceeded to escalate industrial action. We are continuing to urge teaching unions to reconsider their plans while talks are ongoing.

“Recent discussions have been constructive. There has been a shared understanding that talks have been focused on discussing potential areas for compromise - not on tabling a new offer at this stage.”

She added: “To date, we have made four offers, all of which have been rejected, but we remain absolutely committed to reaching an agreement on a pay deal that is fair and sustainable for all concerned.”

After talks last week failed to avert the fresh round of strikes starting today, Cosla resources spokesperson Katie Hagmann said: “Cosla leaders are clear that given the financial pressures being faced it remains the case that the 10 per cent ask of the trade unions remains unaffordable and therefore we still remain a distance apart in terms of a settlement.”