The general secretary of one of the Scottish teaching unions striking today over pay is warning that “unions are digging in for the long haul”.
Today and tomorrow, thousands of Scottish pupils will once again be out of school as members of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) and the NASUWT Scotland teaching union strike over pay. The action follows the walkouts staged by the EIS teaching union and primary school leaders’ body the AHDS on 24 November, which closed the vast majority of Scottish schools.
In an interview with Tes Scotland, the general secretary of the SSTA, Seamus Searson, has said that the union plans to announce further strike days at the end of the week and is hoping to coordinate any future action with the other teaching unions, including the EIS.
The EIS, which is the biggest teaching union in Scotland, has announced that strike action will take place over 16 consecutive days in January and February.
Mr Searson said: “In terms of how long this could run - industrial action will continue up to the February break and move up again if need be after that point.
“The teacher unions are digging in for the long haul because nothing has been forthcoming from the Scottish government. Even the pay offer we got last time was nearly three months late - the previous offer was 19 August and the next offer, which was really just a messing about with the numbers, came on 22 November.”
The most recent teacher pay deal would have resulted in an uplift of 6.85 per cent for probationers, but the vast majority of teachers continue to be offered the 5 per cent they previously rejected.
The SSTA says it has had no contact with the Scottish government since 22 November to avert the strikes taking place this week.
Last week, first minister Nicola Sturgeon said the current deal was “a fair offer” that recognised “the impact of the costs crisis on the lowest-paid teachers”.
Mr Searson, however, described it as a “divisive offer” and “a slap in the face” for teachers.
He said: “We will be announcing further strike dates on Friday and will be moving to work with the other unions in January on future strikes.”
Mike Corbett, NASUWT Scotland national official, said today that the dispute is likely to continue unless employers and the Scottish government make an improved offer for all teachers.
Mr Corbett said: “There was a revised offer tabled on 22 November but that revised offer, although it was an improvement for those at the lowest end of the salary scale, was exactly the same offer for all experienced classroom teachers and for some in promoted posts it was actually a worse offer.
“So that was immediately rejected by all of the teacher trade unions and I think until employers and government come back with what is an improved offer for all teachers, then I fear the dispute might continue.”
He added: “Our members do not want to be on strike, they do not want to be disrupting children’s education in any way, but their hope is that this, the ultimate thing they can do, actually brings an end to the dispute by bringing a revised and improved offer.”
Scottish teachers have expressed frustration at the different unions taking action on different days, saying they are being forced to cross colleagues’ picket lines.
Meanwhile, in Fife, the council has been accused of using “intimidating strike-breaking tactics” after warning teachers they could be subject to disciplinary action in the future if they failed to cover striking colleagues’ classes.
Today, education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Strike action is in no one’s interest, least of all learners, parents and carers. We remain committed to a fair, sustainable settlement for Scotland’s teachers and will continue to engage teaching unions and [local authorities’ body] Cosla constructively.
“It is very disappointing that the teaching unions have rejected the latest offer - the fourth which has been 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.”
Ms Somerville added: “While councils are responsible for managing the impact of industrial action, I expect schools to remain open wherever possible, so that disruption can be minimised. Any closures would follow risk assessments made in individual areas.”
Today, industrial action is taking place in: Argyll and Bute; Dumfries and Galloway; East Ayrshire; East Dunbartonshire; East Renfrewshire; Eilean Siar; City of Glasgow; Highland; Inverclyde; North Ayrshire; North Lanarkshire; Orkney; Renfrewshire; Shetland; South Ayrshire; South Lanarkshire; and West Dunbartonshire.
The local authorities affected on Thursday are: Aberdeen; Angus; Aberdeenshire; Clackmannanshire; Dundee; Edinburgh; East Lothian; Falkirk; Fife; Midlothian; Moray; Perth and Kinross; Scottish Borders; Stirling; West Lothian.
Disruption is expected in most areas through either partial or full closures of schools.
