The Dundee school strike has been called off after a last minute Court of Session ruling.
Late on Tuesday afternoon, the EIS union obtained an interim interdict against Dundee City Council regarding its implementation of introducing faculties to local schools.
The move would have seen the removal of specialist principal teachers who would have been replaced with faculty heads.
The EIS claimed the plan would "remove the vital experience offered by subject specialist principal teachers" and it fears class teachers would have been handed additional work.
But last night’s ruling in Edinburgh means that Dundee City Council is legally prohibited from ‘Implementing or taking any or any further steps to implement the Faculty Structure in schools within the Dundee City Council local authority.’
An EIS spokesman said the prohibition will remain in place on a temporary basis until it is either successfully challenged by Dundee City Council or the Council enters ‘genuine negotiations’ with the union in order to resolve the current dispute.
Should Dundee City Council take steps to challenge the Court’s ruling, the EIS will take further steps to defend any such action.
Commenting on the judgement, EIS General Secretary, Larry Flanagan said, “This is a significant vindication of the stand which Dundee EIS members have taken. Whether it be by use of the courts or through industrial action, the EIS will continue to defend members’ interests in Dundee, and indeed elsewhere.”
He added: “Frankly, when the Scottish Government is talking loudly about teacher empowerment, it is a disgrace that Dundee City Council sought to impose new management structures in the face of clear opposition from the very teachers it depends on to deliver for Dundee’s children and young people.
“We expect Councils in Scotland to be enlightened employers, not some modern version of mill owners telling the workers what to do.”
And he concluded: “We have offered the Council a task force to address the education challenges which exist in Dundee and we hope that it will revisit its previous response and engage constructively with the EIS and its members going forward.”
A spokesperson for Dundee City Council said: “The EIS has this evening confirmed that the industrial action planned for Dundee secondary schools on Wednesday has been cancelled.
“As a result, all city secondary schools will open as normal to all pupils.
“We note the decision of the Court of Session and are studying the detail.”
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