The leader of Scotland’s largest teachers’ union has described the latest salary offer as “tiny baby steps” in the right direction.
EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said union officials would discuss the details of the proposal later.
The Government said it had found £156million to fund a two-year deal.
The new offer includes a salary increase of 6% in the current year and an additional 5.5% in the new fiscal year, which starts in April.
It is hoped the proposal from local government agency Cosla will result in the strikes being halted – but Ms Bradley said no decision had yet been made on whether to suspend the action.
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The EIS, which represents the bulk of unionized teachers, has called for a 10% increase this year.
Speaking to BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme, Ms Bradley said the EIS and other teachers’ unions had been ‘somewhat frustrated at the Scottish Government’s and Cosla’s digging in their heels on teachers’ salaries.
“I think what has been conveyed through the media and put on the table for trial later this week is a tiny baby step in the right direction rather than a significant improvement.
“Our pay committee will review the terms of this offer later this morning.”
She added it was “very, very unfortunate” that the BBC appeared to know the details of the offer before it was “properly put through the negotiating channels”.
The next nationwide strike is scheduled for February 28th and March 1st.
In the meantime, the EIS is also planning targeted action in a number of areas, including First Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s Glasgow constituency and Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville’s Dunfermline constituency.
Ms Somerville told Good Morning Scotland that if the offer were accepted, many teachers would receive a total increase of more than £5,000 over two years.
She said: “When we are in a dispute like this, each side of the dispute has to make compromises and we have had to make difficult decisions in government to try and find more money for it.
“This has consequences because the money has already been given.
“But I hope this shows our real determination to find a way, to find a compromise, to bring together what I believe is a very exceptionally good and fair deal.”
She said it was up 11.5% in April and a “cumulative increase” of more than 30% since 2018.
The Scottish Government has previously said it has run out of money and is having to plunder other households to pay for an increased supply.
Her £156m for teachers is part of a pot of around £300m that would also allow councils to offer their other staff a 5.5% pay rise in 2023/24.
The previous salary offer from November was worth between 5% and 6.85% for most employees.
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