Teachers at a Scottish independent school have voted strongly in favour of taking strike action over plans to “hack away” at their contracts by removing them from the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme (STPS).
A total of 78 per cent of EIS members at Hutchesons’ Grammar in Glasgow - the alma mater of first minister Humza Yousaf - have voted for strike action in a statutory ballot, which closed today. The turnout was 86 per cent.
The EIS, which is Scotland’s largest teaching union, says it will now call its members at Hutchesons’ out on strike “in the near future”.
The looming strike action comes after Hutchesons’ Grammar School forced its teachers to agree to new contracts or face dismissal.
The school says it is offering “a different pension, not an inferior one” and the STPS is being replaced with “a generous defined contribution scheme”.
However, the EIS disputes this. General secretary Andrea Bradley has said the new scheme would give teachers “a poorer retirement relative to their current pension”.
There had also been warnings that the move could be the thin end of the wedge, with other Scottish independent schools likely to follow suit if Hutchesons’ Grammar is successful in pushing through the change.
Ms Bradley said: “This is a very strong ballot result, which demonstrates the determination of EIS members at Hutchesons’ to stand up for their contractual terms and conditions in the face of attacks by an aggressive management regime.
“Industrial action is very rare in Scottish schools, and this is particularly the case in the independent sector. The fact that teachers at Hutchesons’ are making this stand, working together through their trade unions, reflects very well on the staff and very poorly on the school. The actions of the school - in engaging in ‘fire and rehire’ tactics with its dedicated teaching staff in order to force them onto inferior contracts - are reprehensible and will continue to be resisted fiercely.”
Ms Bradley said that a programme of strike action at the school would be discussed at a meeting tomorrow morning and called on the school’s management to “reverse its damaging programme of fire and rehire, and reinstate teachers on their previous terms and conditions, including their pension provision”.
Ms Bradley continued: “Parents at the school must also be wondering why a fee-paying school, which is apparently in good financial health, is choosing to hack away at the contracts of the school’s teaching staff, causing upset and uncertainty, and unsettling the delivery of education at the school which is likely soon to be significantly disrupted if strike action by members at Hutchesons’ Grammar is sanctioned by the EIS tomorrow.”
A Hutchesons’ Grammar spokesperson said the school was “incredibly disappointed with the EIS ballot result” and its position remains that it is “necessary to cap one of the school’s biggest costs” given “current financial headwinds”.
They added that there was a limit to what it could charge in fees without the school roll dropping and resulting in the loss of teaching jobs, and that the school was confident it was offering it teachers “one of the most generous defined contribution schemes in the private sector”.
The spokesperson said there were “inaccuracies in a recent union release about the pension scheme” and the school wanted to confirm that staff had “an accurate understanding of the headwinds facing independent schools”. They said the school’s staff had always maintained that they did not wish to strike, and the school remained “hopeful in this regard”.
The spokesperson concluded: “The school met with the unions and Acas [the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service] and has requested the latter carries out an independent ballot on whether teaching staff wish the school to voluntarily recognise the three unions. Acas have intimated this request to the unions, and we await their response.
“No date for industrial action has been given to the school. However, we will begin planning for any possible industrial action to ensure continuity of learning for our pupils whose education is our priority.”
