The boss of Scotland’s largest teaching union has rejected a pay offer aimed at averting strikes as “nothing less than an abject insult”, as school staff carry on preparations to walk out on Thursday.
The Scottish Government made a new offer to the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) on Tuesday in a bid to prevent industrial action.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville had urged union leaders to postpone action to consider the offer, but the EIS unanimously rejected the plea.
EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley responded: “Teachers overwhelmingly rejected a 5% offer more than three months ago and now, after months of prevarication and weeks of empty promises, COSLA and the Scottish Government come back with an offer that is worth that same 5% to the vast majority of teachers.
“This is not, as the Scottish Government claims, a progressive offer – it is a divisive offer, made on a differentiated basis, which is actually worse for many teachers in promoted posts.”
Under the proposals, teachers earning less than £40,107 would receive an increase of £1,926 per year, 6.85% for those on the lowest salaries, while those earning more would receive a 5% increase, and those earning more than £60,000 would receive a £3,000 boost.
A Scottish Government spokesman said it was “very disappointing that the EIS has rejected this fair and progressive offer which mirrors the deal accepted by other local government workers”, adding: “Strikes are in no-one’s interest and this offer - the fourth offer which has gone to unions - would have meant a 21.8% cumulative increase in teacher pay since 2018.”
As well as the EIS, which rejected the deal after a special meeting of its salaries committee, a SSTA spokesman described the deal as a “very disappointing pay offer”, commenting: “The unions have been led down the garden path by COSLA and the Scottish Government and tell us they care about teachers and value their commitment over the last few years.”
Teachers union NASUWT said its members backed industrial action, with a ballot winning 92% support a strike and 96% backing action short on strike. The turnout was almost 64%.
Mike Corbett, the union’s national official in Scotland, said members “are sick of being expected to put up with declining wages while working ever harder to meet the increasing challenges being faced in our schools”.
NASUWT members will strike on 7 and 8 December and take action short of strike from 9 December.
When Somerville announced the pay deal, she described it as a “fair offer which recognises that the cost-of-living crisis is the priority, with higher increases for staff on lower salaries”.
She continued: “The financial situation for the Scottish Government is challenging and additional money for teacher pay means reduced public services elsewhere.
“In these challenging times it is important we focus our attention on those who are most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, as well as ensuring fairness to all public sector workers.”
Katie Hagmann, resources spokeswoman at council umbrella body COSLA, said the new offer was “fair, affordable and recognises that the cost-of-living crisis is the priority”.
But Bradley said it is neither “an improved, realistic, progressive or generous offer” and her members will see it as a “kick in the teeth from their employers and the Scottish Government”.
Somerville’s political opponent’s at Holyrood criticised the offer, with Scottish Conservative education spokesman Stephen Kerr saying she had been “missing in action as strikes have loomed large for months”.
He added: “It should never have reached the stage where the SNP Government were scrambling around at the eleventh hour trying to strike a deal with teachers, and it’s no surprise that this last-gasp offer has been rejected.”
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