Teachers’ strikes specifically targeting Perthshire because it is represented at Holyrood by Deputy First Minister John Swinney MSP are set to go ahead next week forcing the closure of dozens of schools.
The planned industrial action, which will also see schools in First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP’s and education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP’s constituencies having to close, comes after the Educational Institute for Scotland (EIS) rejected the latest pay offer put forward by the Scottish Government and COSLA.
Under the proposed deal teachers earning up to £80,000 would see their pay increased by six per cent then another five-and-a-half per cent in the 2023 financial year.
However, this latest offer was rejected following a special meeting of the EIS Salaries Committee on Wednesday meaning strikes targeting Mr Swinney’s Perthshire North constituency, Ms Sturgeon’s Glasgow Southside constituency and Ms Somerville’s Dunfermline constituency, will now go ahead next week.
The strikes are happening in these areas because all three politicians are regarded by the union as “key decision-makers” in the ongoing pay dispute.
EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley remarked after this week’s meeting: “This is another inadequate offer to Scotland’s teachers, which was unanimously rejected by the EIS Salaries Committee.
“The six per cent value of the offer for 2022-23 is insufficient, with CPI inflation currently sitting today at 10.5 per cent. The six per cent offer for this year is only one per cent less of a pay cut than that previously offered, twice, by the Scottish Government and COSLA.
“Teachers have already lost more than one per cent of their salaries through being forced into strike action so, essentially, teachers already more than paid for this revised offer themselves.
“This is just yet more smoke and mirrors from the Scottish Government and COSLA in attempting to make this offer appear more generous than it actually is.”
This week Perth and Kinross Council put out a list of all local schools which will stay shut next week from February 22 to 24 while teachers pace the picket lines.
In alphabetical order they are: Abernyte Primary; Alyth Primary; Auchtergaven Primary; Almondbank House; Balbeggie Primary; Balhousie Primary; Bertha Park High School; Blair Atholl; Blairgowrie High School; Breadalbane Primary; Breadalbane Secondary; Burrelton; Collace Primary; Coupar Angus Primary; Errol Primary; Grandtully Primary; Guildtown Primary; Inchture Primary; Invergowrie Primary; Kenmore Primary; Kettins Primary; Kinnoull Primary; Kirkmichael Primary; Logierait Primary; Longforgan Primary; Luncarty Primary; Meigle and Kettins Primary; Murthly Primary; Newhill Primary; North Muirton Primary; Perth Grammar; Pitlochry High School; Rattray Primary; Robert Douglas Memorial Primary; the Royal School of Dunkeld; St John’s RC Academy Primary; St John’s RC Academy Secondary; St Madoes Primary; St Stephen’s RC Primary and Stanley Primary.
