Schools in Stirling closed their doors again yesterday as the national walkout over teachers’ pay rumbles on.
Picket lines were once again in place at the entrance to primaries and secondaries across the region, with the programme of rolling strikes organised by the EIS and other teaching unions impacting two local authority areas each day for a total of 16 days.
Alongside the picket lines, teachers also attended a rally at the Stirling Court Hotel on Tuesday morning, with around 100 in place to hear from local EIS representatives as well as the union’s current president, Andrene Bamford.
The rally gave teachers the chance to talk about various concerns, including pay, unpaid overtime and fears over future budget cuts.
Stirling EIS secretary Ann Skillen said: “The EIS’ frustration at the lack of progress is shared by all unions and also by Stirling’s teachers who are feeling side-lined and ignored.
“Where is the government’s sense of urgency to resolve this dispute and allow teachers and pupils to get back into the classroom to resume the very high quality teaching and learning that is normal service in Stirling’s classrooms?
“There is no sign of that and their continuing prevarication is a disgrace.
“It is a shocking indictment of the Scottish Government/COSLA side that it is not engaged in a negotiation but simply trying to pressure teachers into accepting their five per cent offer.
“The interview given by the First Minister and seen on Sunday morning gave the lie to government claims of wanting to close the poverty related attainment gap, previously espoused by her.
“Comparing the salaries of teachers with support staff in schools was inaccurate and further ‘facts’ were simply wrong, including the assertion that teachers have had more than a 20 per cent increase in salary since 2018.
“It is clear from the experience of those teachers who have been on picket lines from Strathblane to Bannockburn to Callander that there is considerable public support for our case and we’ll continue to fight that case.”
The current round of rolling action is set to continue until February 6 - Clackmannanshire teachers will go off on February 1 - and there will be additional disruption with strikes planned by the NASUWT and SSTA unions on February 28 and March 1.
Following further talks between teaching unions and COSLA on Friday, Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “We held further constructive talks with teaching unions and COSLA.
“Dialogue remains focused on potential areas for compromise in bringing this dispute to an end – rather than tabling a new offer at this
time.
“The Scottish Government values the hard work that our teaching workforce puts in for our learners and we remain absolutely committed to ensuring they receive a fair pay deal.
“Strikes in our schools are in no one’s interest – including for pupils, parents and carers who have already had to deal with significant disruption over the past three years. I continue to urge teaching unions to reconsider current industrial action while talks are ongoing.
“We hope that these discussions will continue to progress towards a compromise to ensure a sustainable deal for all involved.”
