Two teaching unions embroiled in a dispute with a Scottish independent school over changes to pensions say strike action is back on the cards this week.
The dispute at Hutchesons’ Grammar in Glasgow - which is accused of using fire and rehire tactics to remove its staff from the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme (STPS) - is considered to be pivotal.
If the school is successful in pushing through the changes to its teachers’ pensions, unions say that other private schools - many of which face big financial pressures - will follow suit, leading to worsening terms and conditions for independent school teachers and a weaker STPS because of the reduction in contributions.
Last week it seemed a compromise had been reached: the school said it would delay any changes to its teachers’ pensions for a year and the unions agreed to suspend strike action.
Now, however, the unions say the school has reneged on this commitment. The EIS teaching union called the school’s leaders “bad faith actors whose word cannot be trusted” and the NASUWT Scotland teaching union said it was “the worst example of duplicitous employer practice we have seen in a long while”.
The EIS says it will now reinstate the planned strike date of Wednesday 21 June, and release further dates “in the near future”.
The NASUWT Scotland said it would “now be consulting with members with a view to further escalation of industrial action”.
An EIS spokesperson said: “Once again they have demonstrated that they are bad faith actors whose word cannot be trusted. Not only have they failed to move further forward, failed to grasp the opportunity to negotiate an acceptable resolution, they have gone back on a promise made only a matter of days ago.
“We can only conclude that this was an underhand move to prevent the strike action that had been due to take place over this past week.”
EIS and NASUWT members were due to strike last week but withdrew the action as a gesture of goodwill after the school agreed to delay the pensions transfer.
Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said the union would “now be consulting with members with a view to further escalation of industrial action”.
He added: “There is no justification for the employer to renege on the commitments they made to us last week. NASUWT members responded by withdrawing dates of strike action. Having given those commitments, we expect the employer to act with honour and integrity.
“However, if the employer thinks it can get away with using these kind of tactics as a way to sneak through its downgrading of pensions then they have seriously underestimated the feelings of our members.”
In response, Hutchesons’ Grammar - which is the former school of both first minister Humza Yousaf and Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar - said it had tried to reach “a mutually amicable agreement” with the unions but, ultimately, had been unsuccessful.
The school said it now had “no choice but to proceed as planned towards an exit from STPS in autumn 2023” and that, as of 16 June, the school’s teachers would “therefore be enrolled into a private pension scheme that will give an extremely generous 22 per cent employer contribution”.
The spokesperson added: “This decision has been taken after careful consultation, reflection and consideration. It is fully backed by the board.
“The welfare of all our staff members, pupils and the school is always our primary focus and we are disappointed that the unions have not accepted our recommendations.”
