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Daily Record

National

Kathryn Anderson

John Swinney calls for industrial action in schools to be called off

John Swinney EIS Perth and Kinross Council Scottish Government

Perthshire North MSP John Swinney has called for the planned industrial action in schools to be called off.

He described it as "unacceptable" that teachers have not been consulted on the latest pay offer which would have represented a 11.5 per cent increase over two years.

Schools and school nurseries in John Swinney's constituency are facing closures four weeks in a row.

All Perth and Kinross schools were closed from February 15 to 17 for half-term holiday and an in-service day.

Schools in Perthshire North will again close from Wednesday, February 22 to February 24 as part of targeted industrial action by the teaching union the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS). Perthshire North schools will also be targeted with industrial action from March 7 to 9.

Schools in the Perthshire South and Kinross-shire constituency will not close for the targeted industrial action.

However a further national strike from February 28 to March 1 will close all Perth and Kinross schools and nurseries.

The EIS rejected a pay offer which would have seen a backdated six per cent increase for 2022/23 followed by a 5.5 per cent increase from April 2023 for 2023/24. The union's Salaries convener Des Morris said the revised pay offer was sent to the EIS "after details of it had been leaked to the BBC and other media outlets".

As well as the deputy first minister's constituency the targeted industrial action will affect the constituencies of: first minister Nicola Sturgeon, education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville, COSLA Resources spokesperson councillor Katie Hagmann and the Scottish Green Party's education spokesperson Ross Greer.

Deputy First Minister Mr Swinney said: "I very much regret the further disruption that is being experienced by young people and by parents. The targeted action in my constituency will have an inequitable impact on young people and their families.

"Last week, the Scottish Government and local authorities made a very significant pay offer to teachers which would have seen an average increase of 11.5 per cent by April 2023. This more than met the 10 per cent demand that had been made. Moreover, this offer would have delivered an increase in teachers’ salaries of almost 30 per cent since 2018.

"I think it is unacceptable that this offer has not been put to EIS members for their consideration.

"The Scottish Government and councils will continue to engage in negotiations and will do everything that we can to resolve this issue. I believe, though, that as an act of good faith the strikes should be cancelled and the latest pay offer should be put to teachers for them to consider."

Last week the EIS Salaries Committee unanimously voted to reject the offer and overwhelmingly voted that the offer should not be put to members for a number of reasons. One of those was that the pay offer was "insufficient".

On February 15 Salaries convener Des Morris said: "The value of the offer for 2022-23 is insufficient. RPI inflation was published today and remains at 13.4 per cent. CPI inflation sits today at 10.1 per cent. A six per cent pay uplift is only one per cent less of a pay cut than the five per cent rejected overwhelmingly in two ballots and less than the saving that has been made on the wage bill by teachers taking three days of strike action."

Earlier this month it was revealed Perth and Kinross Council saved £245,000 - in unpaid wages - as a result of the EIS teacher strike on November 24, 2022.

Perth and Kinross Council has confirmed the following schools will close from February 22 to 24. They will also be closed from March 7 to 9 as part of further targeted industrial action. Nurseries attached to the schools listed below will also be closed.