Strike action in Lanarkshire’s schools is to take place on Thursday, November 24.
The initial date was announced by the EIS teaching union following a 96 per cent vote in favour of taking action over pay, with officials saying that further dates will be agreed at a meeting today.
North Lanarkshire Council is “assessing what impact this will have” and will issue further updates to parents and families “at the earliest opportunity”.
The planned teachers’ strike is the first such action in Scotland’s schools for four decades, and is described by the union as “a clear indication of the current level of anger and frustration amongst teachers”.
A total of 71 per cent of eligible staff took part in the ballot, returning the overwhelming vote to take action to reject the currently-tabled pay increase of five per cent.
The school strike announcement came just a day after a similar historic industrial action decision by Scotland’s nurses, with healthcare action now due to start next month.
EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said: “Teachers do not take strike action lightly, but have voted to do so in light of the continuing steep real-terms decline in their pay; politicians who have lauded the invaluable work of teachers throughout the pandemic and ongoing period of recovery are now offering a deep real-terms pay cut.
“We hoped not to get to this point, and have given local authorities and the Scottish Government ample time to come up with a fair pay offer.
“The blame for this move to strike action sits squarely with Cosla and the Scottish Government; they have sat on their hands for far too long while the soaring cost of living continues to erode the value of their pitiful offers to Scotland’s teachers.”
A North Lanarkshire Council spokesman told Lanarkshire Live: “The EIS has notified us of its intention to take strike action on November 24.
“We are assessing what impact this will have on schools and early learning establishments, and will notify families of any changes required to our services at the earliest opportunity.”
Deputy Frst Minister John Swinney said earlier this month that there was no available budget for public sector pay rises, saying after announcing £615m of spending cuts: “I have nowhere else to go to fund pay deals other than what the government offers.”
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