Thousands Of Scottish Teachers Walk Out Of Classrooms After Overwhelming Support For Strike

Members of the Education Institute of Scotland (EIS) will call on teachers on November 24 after 96% voted in favor of industrial action. It comes after teachers rejected a 5% pay rise despite inflation hitting a 40-year high of 12.6% and marks the first time since 1985 that they have taken strike action over pay. Union bosses said the decision was “not taken seriously” and urged the Scottish Government and the Assembly of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) to return to the negotiating table. Deputy First Minister John Sweeney previously said there was “nowhere to go” for public sector pay deals, but the union’s general secretary said the result, of 71% turnout, “sent a clear message” that his bosses Holyrood and the council’s ‘must do’. better’ in teacher pay. Andrea Bradley added that members had “felt the financial pressure of the cost of living enough”. He said: “The last pay offer, a 5% underinflation, was rejected by Scottish teachers almost three months ago. Since then, no new offer has been made, despite teachers’ strong desire for a fair deal. “We were hoping not to get to that point and have given local authorities and the Scottish Government plenty of time to come up with a fair pay offer. But with a pay rise for teachers more than seven months overdue, the blame for this strike action lies with COSLA and the Scottish Government. “Teachers do not take strike action lightly, but have voted to do so in the face of the continued sharp fall in their wages in real terms. Politicians who praised the invaluable work of teachers throughout the pandemic and during the ongoing recovery are now offering teachers a deep pay cut in real terms.” The last national strike by teachers with pay took place on February 26, 1985. That day an estimated 2,000 schools were forced to close and students were affected in another 20,000. Opponents said responsibility for the strikes “belonged solely to the Scottish Government”. But Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said the strikes were “not in the best interests of students, parents and carers”, adding that the Government remained committed to a “fair deal”. “We recognize the vital importance of achieving a fair and affordable pay solution, both for the workforce during a cost-of-living crisis and for the students and parents who rely on the vital services provided by our teaching staff,” he said. “We are absolutely committed to working together to support an offer of fair pay for teachers through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers and to avoid unnecessary strike action and the disruption it would cause. “Strikes in our schools are in no-one’s interests – not least pupils, parents and carers who have already faced significant disruption over the past three years.”

title: “Thousands Of Scottish Teachers Walk Out Of Classrooms After Overwhelming Support For Strike " ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-15” author: “Jackie Woods”

Members of the Education Institute of Scotland (EIS) will call on teachers on November 24 after 96% voted in favor of industrial action. It comes after teachers rejected a 5% pay rise despite inflation hitting a 40-year high of 12.6% and marks the first time since 1985 that they have taken strike action over pay. Union bosses said the decision was “not taken seriously” and urged the Scottish Government and the Assembly of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) to return to the negotiating table. Deputy First Minister John Sweeney previously said there was “nowhere to go” for public sector pay deals, but the union’s general secretary said the result, of 71% turnout, “sent a clear message” that his bosses Holyrood and the council’s ‘must do’. better’ in teacher pay. Andrea Bradley added that members had “felt the financial pressure of the cost of living enough”. He said: “The last pay offer, a 5% underinflation, was rejected by Scottish teachers almost three months ago. Since then, no new offer has been made, despite teachers’ strong desire for a fair deal. “We were hoping not to get to that point and have given local authorities and the Scottish Government plenty of time to come up with a fair pay offer. But with a pay rise for teachers more than seven months overdue, the blame for this strike action lies with COSLA and the Scottish Government. “Teachers do not take strike action lightly, but have voted to do so in the face of the continued sharp fall in their wages in real terms. Politicians who praised the invaluable work of teachers throughout the pandemic and during the ongoing recovery are now offering teachers a deep pay cut in real terms.” The last national strike by teachers with pay took place on February 26, 1985. That day an estimated 2,000 schools were forced to close and students were affected in another 20,000. Opponents said responsibility for the strikes “belonged solely to the Scottish Government”. But Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said the strikes were “not in the best interests of students, parents and carers”, adding that the Government remained committed to a “fair deal”. “We recognize the vital importance of achieving a fair and affordable pay solution, both for the workforce during a cost-of-living crisis and for the students and parents who rely on the vital services provided by our teaching staff,” he said. “We are absolutely committed to working together to support an offer of fair pay for teachers through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers and to avoid unnecessary strike action and the disruption it would cause. “Strikes in our schools are in no-one’s interests – not least pupils, parents and carers who have already faced significant disruption over the past three years.”