Scotland’s largest teachers’ union has announced two more days of strikes over wage disputes.
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said its members in primary schools would go on strike on January 10.
Strikes at secondary schools follow on January 11th. All EIS members are said to be on strike as early as Thursday, November 24th.
The union said the employers had not made a new salary offer after a meeting on Thursday afternoon.
Teachers have been offered a 5% pay rise by local authority Cosla, but teachers unions want 10% to take account of rising inflation.
The Scottish Government has previously warned there is no money left to fund public sector wage increases.
EIS Secretary General Andrea Bradley said: “The ball is clearly in Cosla and the Scottish Government – only an improved and acceptable offer can prevent strikes and an escalation of further action in this dispute.”
She added that the meeting on a new pay deal “appears to have been convened simply to give the impression that talks are progressing”.
- No more money to fund pay rises in the public sector
- Scottish secondary teachers vote to strike
- Secondary school teachers reject 5% salary offer
The January 10 strike will involve EIS members in elementary, kindergarten and primary school special schools, with high schools and secondary special schools being affected the next day.
This strike will fall when some secondary school students take their pre-exams.
Members of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association have also voted to go on strike for the week beginning December 5th.
The Scottish Government previously said it was “obliged to support a fair salary offer” through the Scottish Teachers’ Bargaining Committee – the body that negotiates salaries and working conditions.
The teachers’ strike comes as healthcare unions also prepare for industrial action over the NHS salary offer.
Action by the EIS next Thursday will see most state schools in Scotland closed.
Several major councils – including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, North Lanarkshire and Fife – have announced all their primary and secondary schools will be closed if the strike takes place next Thursday.
The union is also warning of further action spread over two days in January – one day will target the primaries, the other the secondary schools.
Meanwhile, the smaller SSTA union is also planning a strike in December. This will cause significant disruption in many secondary schools.
Some in the union were somewhat surprised that no new salary offer was presented at this afternoon’s meeting of the committee that negotiates teachers’ salaries.
But even if a new offer is made, is it enough to deter a lawsuit?
Teachers want a 10% pay rise – double the current offer.
The EIS hopes that the mere threat of action will result in a decent salary offer and that a strike will not be necessary.
But the time for that is running out.
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