TEACHER strikes will go ahead this week if Scottish Government officials are unable to agree a deal with teaching unions on Monday.
Staff are preparing to walkout of Scottish primary schools on Tuesday and secondary schools the day after amid the country’s teaching unions’ battle with Holyrood for higher pay.
Discussions on Friday between the two sides were hailed as “constructive and helpful” by Scottish Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville.
She has urged members of the EIS, NASUWT and SSTA unions, all involved in a row over pay, to “reconsider their plans for industrial action while talks are ongoing”.
READ MORE: Steph Paton: 2023 has to be about getting behind trade unions
But the unions have said the strikes will go ahead if there is no new offer.
It means unless a new deal is agreed at the meeting of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SCNT), which brings together unions, local authorities and the Scottish Government, industrial action will see most schools north of the border forced to shut.
The current offer on the table would see most staff in classrooms receive a 5% pay rise, although the lowest-earning teachers would get a 6.85% increase.
The Education Secretary said she is “open to considering options to resolve this dispute” but added “any deal must be fair and affordable for all concerned, given the unprecedented pressures facing Scotland’s budget”.
Dan Morris, the union’s salaries convener and chairman of the teachers’ side of the SNCT, said they remain “committed to a reaching a fair, negotiated pay settlement for Scotland’s teaching professionals”.
“In the absence of a new offer, the planned strike action for Tuesday and Wednesday of next week will proceed as scheduled”, he said last week.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here