Scottish teaching unions have declared a formal dispute with the government and councils over pay, saying the deal currently on the table is “completely unacceptable” and accusing them of “a devaluing of the profession”.
The news comes in the wake of a strike action ballot over pay by the public service trade union, Unison, which is targeting school cleaning, catering and janitorial staff.
That ballot closed on 22 September, with the outcome yet to be announced.
Teachers were due to receive a pay award in April, but the current offer of 1.22 per cent was rejected by teaching unions several months ago.
On 9 September, Tes Scotland reported that the EIS teaching union was warning failure to make a “substantially improved offer” before 30 September will lead to “declaration of a dispute”.
Related: Scottish teacher pay offer ‘completely inadequate’
News: Real-terms pay freeze lets down teachers, says union
Background: How much are teachers paid in Scotland?
The last deal: New three-year pay deal agreed for teachers in Scotland
EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: “It is completely unacceptable that nine months after our pay claim was submitted, Scotland’s local authorities and the Scottish government have failed to respond with a reasonable pay settlement to Scotland’s teachers.
“The process has dragged on but, with no improved offer having been made, we have now been forced into this dispute.
“Teachers want to focus their energies on supporting education recovery for their students, but anger and frustration is growing over what is seen as a devaluing of the profession.”
Previously, the EIS teaching union has highlighted the difference between the pay offers made to teachers and to NHS workers, describing it as “glaring”.
EIS salaries convener Des Morris is chair of the teachers’ side of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT).
The SNCT is the tripartite negotiating body for teacher pay, and involves teaching unions, Scottish local authorities body Cosla and the Scottish government.
Mr Morris said: “The value of Scotland’s teachers has been clearly highlighted throughout the pandemic, where teachers have worked extremely hard to support young people in quite unprecedented and extremely challenging circumstances.
“The level of public and political praise for teachers has been extremely high during this time, with frequent statements highlighting the value of teachers to the country and the essential role that education must play in supporting the national recovery from the Covid pandemic. In this context, the pay offer of a little over 1 per cent that has been made to Scotland’s teachers - representing a significant real-terms pay cut - is completely unacceptable.”
The last time Scottish teachers struck a pay deal was in April 2019, which resulted in a 13.51 per cent increase over three years, with a backdated 3 per cent pay increase from April 2018, a 7 per cent rise in April 2019, and a final 3 per cent pay increase from April 2020.
That deal was reached following 12 months of negotiations and threats of strike action.
