TEACHERS in Scotland and England have suffered a real-terms fall in pay – while their counterparts in many countries have had theirs rise, it is claimed.
According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), baseline salaries for school workers in England fell by 12 per cent in real terms across all levels of education between 2005 and 2015, with a drop of six per cent in Scotland.
These figures are statutory salaries, for teachers with typical qualifications and 15 years’ experience and take inflation into account.
In comparison, there were average real-terms rises in salaries across the OECD countries of up to ten per cent across differing levels of education.
Statutory salaries are gross wages according to official pay scales, less employer contribution to social security and pension and do not take into account other payments such as allowances or bonuses.
The report ranked Scotland 19th out of 37 countries for the value of pay, compared with a position of eighth in 2007. It states: “For teachers with typical qualifications and 15 years of experience, and accounting for inflation over the period 2005-15, statutory salaries were worth ... six per cent less in Scotland across all levels of education.
“This compares to average real terms increases in teachers’ statutory salaries across OECD countries of six per cent at primary level, six per cent at lower secondary and four per cent at upper secondary level.”
The news comes during ongoing negotiations over pay and conditions north of the Border and follows a commitment to remove the one per cent pay cap for public service workers from next year.
The Scottish Government said starting pay for teachers here is the highest in the UK, outwith central London.
However, a spokesperson conceded salaries are “slightly below” the OECD average, adding: “Overall, the OECD report shows the salaries of Scottish teachers remain competitive with other countries.
“We continue to work with teachers’ representatives, local authorities and other partners to ensure that teachers are well rewarded.”
But Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) union, said: “It was a political choice, in this country, to cut teachers’ pay and it is a decision that has contributed to the growing recruitment challenge and teacher shortages that exist in many parts of the country.
“It is more clear than ever that corrective action must be taken now to reverse this decline and to give our teachers a proper pay rise and fair salaries for the vital work that they do.”
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