All schools run by the City of Edinburgh Council are set to close following a nationwide teachers' decision to strike over a pay dispute.
On Thursday November 9, Teaching union the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) announced the results of its statutory ballot on the issue, with 96 percent voting in favour of strike action on a turnout of 71 percent.
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The union balloted members after they rejected a “wholly inadequate” 5 percent pay offer. It said that its members are neither willing nor able to accept a “deep real-terms cut to their pay” amid the cost-of-living crisis.
Any walkout would be the first national strike since the 1980s. On a turnout of 71 per cent, 96 per cent members of the EIS trade unions supported strike action.
EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said: “This ballot result provides the EIS with an extremely strong mandate for strike action over pay.
“Our members have sent yet another very clear message to their employers in Scottish local authorities and to the Scottish Government that they must do better on teachers’ pay.
“Our members should have received a pay increase in April but, after months of unjustifiable dither and delay from Cosla and the Scottish Government, we are still waiting for an acceptable offer to be made.
“Quite frankly, our members have had enough of waiting and enough of feeling the financial strain of the cost of living on top of the significant stress of their teaching jobs.”
A special meeting of the EIS executive committee will be held on Thursday afternoon to agree the next steps to be taken in the EIS pay campaign, including an initial programme of industrial action in schools.
Andrea Bradley also added: “A move to strike action is always a last resort, but our members have become increasingly angry over their treatment by their employers and by the Scottish Government.
“The last pay offer, a sub-inflation 5%, was rejected by Scotland’s teachers almost three months ago. Since then, there has been no new offer made, despite a strong desire on the part of teachers for a fair deal to be struck.”
Explaining that with the cost of living soaring and prices of food and fuel, housing and heating continuing to climb ever higher, EIS members are “neither willing nor able to accept a deep real-terms cut to their pay”.
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Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “The Scottish Government and Scottish local government value the teaching workforce.
“We recognise the vital importance of reaching a fair and affordable resolution on pay, both for the workforce during a cost-of-living crisis, and for the pupils and parents who rely on the vital services our teaching workforce deliver.
“We are absolutely committed to working together to support a fair pay offer for teachers through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers and to avoiding unnecessary strike action and the disruption that would cause.
“Strikes in our schools are in no-one’s interest – least of all for pupils, parents and carers who have already faced significant disruption over the past three years.”
The City of Edinburgh Council have been contacted for comment over the decision.
If you or someone you know has been affected by any of the issues raised in this article please get in touch at iona.young@reachplc.com
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