A teaching union has called on the Scottish government and local authorities to make “pay justice” for teachers a top priority for 2023.
Meanwhile, another union has advised teachers to keep an eye on their pay packets, amid concerns that some local authorities have deducted too much after recent strike action.
Today, with further strike action planned in January, EIS teaching union general secretary Andrea Bradley said that teachers deserve much better than a “deep real-terms pay cut” as the cost of living soars.
EIS members will be among three unions taking strike action in January in the dispute over pay.
They have already rejected an offer which represented 5 per cent for most teachers and 6.85 per cent for probationers, but actually amounted to less than previously offered to some higher earners.
The Scottish government has repeatedly said that the 10 per cent offer the EIS is campaigning for is not affordable.
Ms Bradley said: “As 2022 comes to a close, Scotland’s teachers are still waiting for a pay settlement that should have been paid to them in April.
“What Scotland’s teachers have been offered by the Scottish government and [local authorities’ body] Cosla amounts to a record real-terms pay cut of up to 11 per cent in a single year. This is in the context of the value of teachers’ pay dropping by a massive 20 per cent since 2008.
“It is little wonder that teachers voted so overwhelmingly for strike action and remain determined to stand firm against the unprecedented pay cuts that have been offered.”
She added: “The Scottish government and Cosla must do better. They owe it to Scotland’s teachers - the majority of them women - and Scotland’s pupils to end this dispute by committing to pay Scotland’s teachers a fair pay increase.
“This is about pay justice and gender pay justice.”
The EIS strike action on 10 January will involve members in primary schools, special schools and early years setting.
The following day, the EIS, joined by the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA), will stage another strike in secondary schools and secondary special schools.
NASUWT Scotland teaching union members in primary schools will also strike on Tuesday 10 January while teachers in secondaries will walk out on Wednesday 11 January.
EIS members are also due to begin further strike action on Monday 16 January. This will take place over 16 consecutive days, with teachers in two local authorities walking out each day.
SSTA and NASUWT members went on strike for two days earlier this month while EIS members walked out on 24 November - the first national strike action over teacher pay in Scotland since 1984-85.
SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson has raised concerns about the processing of teacher salaries in some parts of Scotland after the strike action, which he said had led to bigger deductions than those stipulated by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), a body which comprises local and national government as well as unions.
“Members have contacted us concerned at the deduction in wages following the recent strike days,” said Mr Searson. “Two authorities - Dundee and Angus - have wrongly applied the SNCT handbook and have deducted 1/195th rather than 1/235th of annual salary. We hope that this is a genuine mistake and not a punitive measure by the employers.
“This is particularly disappointing at this time of year, and these strained economic times.”
A Dundee City Council spokesperson said: “An error was made in the deduction of pay for teachers who took part in industrial action in November. This will be rectified in pay at the end of January 2023.
“The council has spoken to unions about the issue and, before the end of term, asked headteachers to pass on the message to teachers.”
An Angus Council spokesperson said: “I can confirm that this error was identified by our payroll team who then informed our schools and trade unions prior to the Christmas break. The over-deduction will be paid in staff’s January pay.”
Mr Searson added: “We were also dismayed to hear that some employers wrongly deducted a day’s pay from staff who were actually at work on the day of the strike.
“We hope that the employer will rectify these errors as soon as possible and put procedures in place so that this will not happen in the future.”
Looking ahead to 2023, Ms Bradley said: “Education must be a top priority for government and for local authorities, and that means investing in education, including investing in teachers, to ensure the best possible educational experience for all of Scotland’s young people.”
Education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “We are committed to a fair, sustainable settlement for Scotland’s teachers and will continue to engage constructively with teaching unions and Cosla.
“It is very disappointing that the unions rejected the latest offer - the fourth that was put to unions - which mirrors the deal accepted by other local government workers.
“The request for a 10 per cent increase for all teachers - even the highest paid - is not affordable within the Scottish government’s fixed budget.”
There was no mention of teachers or their pay dispute in first minister Nicola Sturgeon’s new year message. She did say the government would ”do everything we can to support our precious public services, helping the NHS in particular recover from the pandemic and get services back on track”.
She spoke of “just how far we have come, from the very darkest days of the pandemic”, and added: ”That progress is thanks to the extraordinary efforts of health service workers; of everyone who worked so hard to deliver the vaccine programme; and of course to all those who came forward to be vaccinated and boosted.”
Ms Sturgeon also said: ”We will prioritise resources to tackle poverty - especially child poverty. The Scottish Child Payment - which was increased and extended last month - now benefits more than 400,000 children, helping give them the best start in life that every young person deserves.”
