Schoolchildren across Scotland are set to face further disruption as a teaching union has rejected the latest pay offer from the Scottish Government.
The deal, which is the fifth offer put to teachers, would have seen teachers who earn up to £80,000 given a 6 per cent pay boost backdated to April 2022 and a further 5.5 per cent from the start of the 2023 financial year, representing 11.5 per cent over two years.
But Andrea Bradley, the general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), dismissed the offer as "inadequate", and said the union's executive committee had "unanimously agreed that the current programme of strike action will continue as scheduled".
READ MORE: High winds to hit Glasgow as yellow weather warning issued with gust of up to 75mph
The fresh deal, which has come after ministers found another £156 million of taxpayers' money to fund the pay rises, was put to teachers on Tuesday evening after being agreed at a crunch meeting of Cosla officials, the umbrella body of council officials.
On Wednesday, the EIS union's salaries committee met, which rejected the offer, before a special meeting of the union's executive committee made its decision to continue the strike campaign.
Ms Bradley said: "The 6 per cent value of the offer for 2022-23 is insufficient, with CPI inflation currently sitting today at 10.5 per cent.
"The 6% offer for this year is only 1 per cent less of a pay cut than that previously offered, twice, by the Scottish Government and Cosla.
"Teachers have already lost more than 1 per cent of their salaries through being forced into strike action so, essentially, teachers already more than paid for this revised offer themselves.
"This is just yet more smoke and mirrors from the Scottish Government and Cosla in attempting to make this offer appear more generous than it actually is."
Ms Bradley also criticised the second year offer of 5.5 per cent, and said it had not been negotiated in the correct forum.
"In attempting to tag on next year's pay settlement, without any negotiation at all, the Scottish Government and Cosla are attempting to tie the hands not just of teacher trade unions but all public sector unions - and this is unacceptable to the EIS," she said.
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “It is deeply disappointing that the EIS has rejected this offer outright, without consulting members – and in doing so, continuing with damaging industrial action, which is particularly concerning in the run up to the SQA exam diet.
“It is a fair offer – the fifth that has been made to unions – and would have meant a salary rise of 11.5% for most teachers in April, with a cumulative rise of almost 30% since January 2018.
“We looked for compromise – as we were asked to do – and dug deep under very challenging financial circumstances to arrive at a deal that is affordable and sustainable.
“I urge the unions to continue discussions with the Scottish Government and COSLA so this dispute can be resolved as soon as possible.
“I appeal, again, for unions to suspend planned strike action while talks are ongoing to avoid further disruption to our children and young people’s education.”
Under the current programme of strikes, in addition to the targeted strikes in senior politicians' constituencies, teachers will walk out on February 28 and March 1 in a national strike.
And schoolchildren will face further disruption to their education with 20 days of rolling strikes across Scotland's local authorities between March 13 and April 21.
READ NEXT:
Airdrie teen missing for three days as police launch urgent appeal to trace him
Lanarkshire family has loved one exhumed from grave next to notorious Glasgow killer
Dumbarton electrician chased down and ran over teenage boys he says bullied and intimidated his son
Glaswegian sells rare 50p coin featuring Paddington Bear for £1,500 on eBay
Glasgow paramedic killed in Ukraine 'died a hero in act of bravery'
