Scottish Government improves teacher pay offer as EIS approves strike plans

The Scottish Government has improved its pay offer to teachers after the EIS teaching union approved plans to ballot for its first national strike since the 1980s.

The offer from Education Secretary John Swinney includes a three per cent pay rise backdated to last year, a further three per cent from the start of this year, with a pledge of another three per cent in 2020.

It also includes a revising of the pay scale, adding two per cent to the five main grade paypoints.

Although it is yet to be approved by councils, the boost will be funded by government “in addition to the Local Government settlement” he said.

Trade unions have campaigned for a 10 per cent pay rise which they say makes up for years of stagnation under the public sector pay freeze.

Ballot papers will be issued to EIS members later this month after a revised offer on the 7 January was rejected.

EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “We have been negotiating for a year, on a pay claim that was due to be settled last April. Teachers’ patience is now exhausted.

“Our preference has always been to agree a fair deal through negotiation, but we have been very clear, also, that we are prepared to take strike action should this be necessary to achieve an acceptable settlement.”

Swinney urged unions to consider the offer “favourably”.

“In light of concerns raised about the position of the significant number of teachers already at the top of the main grade pay scale, the Scottish Government is prepared to improve its offer around main grade restructuring and revaluation of all other SNCT pay scales,” he said.

The offer was made to the EIS on Thursday, he added.

“It is an enhanced offer and I will ask COSLA to agree this and to formally offer it to unions after 25 January. I believe this must be put to teachers for their consideration.

“I welcome the agreement by EIS to allow further time to reach an agreement. Industrial action is in no one’s interests not least our children and young people. That has been my focus and will continue to be until this resolved.”

Labour Education spokesperson Iain Gray said: "Scottish teachers striking for the first time since Thatcher was in Downing Street would be humiliating for an SNP government that claims education is the top priority, and a damning indictment of the handling of our schools.

"No one wants to see industrial action, but the SNP has made an absolute mess of these pay negotiations, as well as teachers’ workload.”