Scotland’s biggest teaching union has hit out at UK government plans to ensure a basic level of service in six sectors - including education - when industrial action takes place.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) has announced that the government is bringing forward new strike laws to “maintain a basic function and deliver minimum safety levels” in the public sector during industrial action.
When it comes to education, the government said it “expects to continue to reach voluntary agreements” with unions and “would only look to consult on minimum safety levels should these voluntary positions not be agreed”.
The government also said it will invite trade unions to meet for “an honest conversation” on “fair and affordable public sector pay settlements for 2023 to 2024”.
However, Andrea Bradley, general secretary of the EIS, Scotland’s biggest teachers’ union, told Tes Scotland that the proposals were “unworkable” and “likely to inflame rather than resolve industrial disputes”.
Walkouts over pay have already taken place in Scotland. The first national strike over pay since the 1980s was held in November and closed the majority of schools.
More strikes are due to take place in Scotland this year, with the first scheduled for next week: schools across the country are set to close on Tuesday and Wednesday.
More teacher strikes over pay
The Scottish teaching unions are campaigning for a 10 per cent pay rise. To date the best offer from the Scottish government and councils is 5 per cent for most teachers and 6.85 per cent for probationers.
Ms Bradley said that the way to resolve industrial disputes was “meaningful negotiation...not ill-conceived legislation”.
“The new proposals for anti-strike laws are the latest attack on public sector workers from an increasingly out-of-touch, very right-wing UK government wishing to deflect from its own ineptitude,” she added.
“A short time ago, the government was encouraging people to applaud public sector workers working through the pandemic. Now they apparently want to sack those same workers for pursuing fair pay settlements through legally mandated strike action.
“While we await full details of the government’s bill, it is already clear that these proposals are unworkable but nonetheless concerning, given that the UK already has among the most restrictive anti-trade union laws in the world.
“Any such proposals are only likely to inflame rather than resolve industrial disputes. Meaningful negotiation on fair pay settlements, not ill-conceived legislation, is the path to settling industrial disputes in the public sector.”
Ahead of the government’s announcement, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he would repeal anti-strike laws introduced by this government if his party came to power.
