Scottish schools will be forced to close as teachers voted overwhelmingly to strike amid a pay dispute.
The Educational Institute for Scotland (EIS) union confirmed that 96% of their members voted in favour of strike action on a turnout of 71%.
If strike action goes ahead as planned, it will be the first teacher strikes in Scotland since the 1980s.
The first day of the strike is due to take place on Thursday, November 24.
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Commenting following the result, 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.”
Ms Bradley added that any strike action is a "last resort" amid the pay dispute, but said the cost of living crisis had pushed members to vote to strike.
She continued: “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.”
“In the current context – with the cost of living soaring, and prices of food and fuel, housing and heating continuing to climb ever higher – our members are neither willing nor able to accept a deep real-terms cut to their pay.
"COSLA and the Scottish Government really must now pay attention to Scotland’s teachers and they must come back with a greatly improved pay offer if strike action starting this month is to be avoided.”
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