Teachers across Scotland will again be taking strike action over their pay claim. After the successful action over the two days of 10th and 11th of January, there will now be a series of strike days affecting different regions of Scotland.

The EIS, the largest teaching union said that their members were angered by statements made to the Press by COSLA (representing the local authorities) and the Scottish Government.

EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said:

 “In addition to their annoyance over the rehashed 5% offer itself, our members have been further angered by the behaviour of the Scottish Government and COSLA over the way that the offer was presented.”

“Having dragged the process out for three months, they waited until 30 minutes before the EIS was due to meet to consider the revised proposal, to actually present their reheated 5% offer. They then released it to the press, with all their accompanying spin, before the EIS Salaries Committee had even had a chance to discuss the offer.

“In these bad-faith actions, the Scottish Government and COSLA have displayed little respect for the agreed negotiating process, and even less respect for Scotland’s hard-working teachers.

“We have been forced into the escalation of this action by the lack of willingness to negotiate properly and to pay teachers properly, by a government that says it wished to be judged on its record on education. The judgement of Scotland’s teachers on the matter of pay is clear, with the first programme of national strike action that we have engaged in for four decades.

“It is now for the Scottish Government and COSLA to resolve this dispute, and prevent further strike action, by coming back to the negotiating table with a substantially improved pay offer for all of Scotland’s teaching professionals.”