Scottish Government ups teacher pay offer

The Scottish Government has upped its pay offer to teachers following weeks of negotiations and disruptive strike action.

The new offer, if accepted, would see a six per cent pay increase for 2022-23 (to be backdated to 1 April 2022) and a further 5.5 per cent for 2023-24.

It is backed with £156m of “additional funding” from the government.

It is unclear yet whether unions will accept the offer which was put on the table late last night.

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “While union demands for an in-year 10% increase are unaffordable within the Scottish Government’s fixed budget, we have looked for compromise and we have arrived at a deal that is fair, affordable, and sustainable for everyone involved.”

The government has previously said it would be unable to provide more cash for an increased offer without cutting budgets elsewhere.

“The offer is being made at a time of extraordinary financial pressure on the Scottish Government budget. Difficult decisions will have to be made to free up the required resources. This reflects our commitment to reach a fair agreement and avoid further disruption to children and young people’s education,” Somerville added.

The EIS – the largest teaching union – has been conducting rolling strike action across Scotland and is set to strike for further days in the coming months, including in the run-up to exams.

An hour before details of the new offer were released to the media, the union said it had not yet received official notification.

Angela Bradley, the general secretary, also expressed anger that information about the offer had surfaced in the media last week.

She said: “The appropriate place for negotiations to take place, and for proposals to be presented and discussed, is within the SNCT as the agreed negotiating forum for teachers’ pay. It is through the SNCT, not through the media, that an agreement on teacher pay must be struck.”