Two days of strike action affecting Stirling’s teachers will go ahead at the end of the month after a fresh pay offer was rejected by unions.
The latest offer made by the Scottish Government and COSLA would have seen teachers receive a six per cent rise in the current year and then a further 5.5 per cent increase from the beginning of the upcoming financial year in April.
However, both the EIS and NASUWT unions turned down the proposal, citing the need for teachers to be given a pay award that keeps up with pressures such as inflation - which currently sits at over 10 per cent.
It means all schools in Stirling will close on February 28 and March 1.
EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley labelled the latest proposal as “inadequate” and said ministers had been more focused on “spin” rather than reaching an agreement with teachers.
Ms Bradley said: “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.”
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville labelled the news as disappointed and urged unions to continue to negotiate in efforts to avoid industrial action.
Ms Somerville said: “It is deeply disappointing that the EIS has rejected this offer outright, without consulting members – and in doing so, continuing with damaging industrial action, which is particularly concerning in the run up to the SQA exam diet.
“It is a fair offer – the fifth that has been made to unions – and would have meant a salary rise of 11.5 per cent for most teachers in April, with a cumulative rise of almost 30 per cent since January 2018.
“We looked for compromise – as we were asked to do – and dug deep under very challenging financial circumstances to arrive at a deal that is affordable and sustainable. I urge the unions to continue discussions with the Scottish Government and COSLA so this dispute can be resolved as soon as possible.”
