Scotland’s largest teaching union has announced it will take "targeted" strike action in the Glasgow constituency of Nicola Sturgeon in a row over pay.
The EIS has singled out the First Minister, as well as John Swinney, education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville, and Scottish Green education spokesman Ross Greer.
The announcement is the latest escalation in the long-running dispute which threatens to rumble on into the exam period.
The EIS said on Tuesday would the affected areas would see teacher walkouts beginning on February 22, followed by strikes in all five areas starting on March 7. The action will be on top of national strikes on February 28 and March 1 and another rolling programme of walkouts starting on March 13.
The First Minister represents Glasgow Southside, while the Deputy First Minister is the MSP for Perthshire North and Ms Somerville the MSP for Dunfermline. Greer represents the West Scotland region at Holyrood, but it is understood East Dunbartonshire will bear the brunt of the EIS action.
Andrea Bradley, the general secretary of the EIS, said: "It is deeply regrettable that the continuing inaction, obfuscation and spin from the Scottish Government and Cosla on teachers’ pay has led to an escalation of our programme of strike action. It has now been a year since our pay claim was submitted, and teachers should have had their pay rise in their pay packet last April.
"Instead, the Scottish Government and Cosla initially offered a pathetic two per cent pay settlement – at a time when inflation was nearly four times that amount. Since then, the Scottish Government and Cosla have dithered, delayed and dragged their feet while the cost of living has continued to soar.”
She added: "The latest offer, for a well-below inflation 5%, has now been kicking around for six months and has been rejected by Scotland’s teachers twice. Our members have already taken part in three days of national strike action, and a further 16 days of rolling action across the country.
"The response from the Scottish Government and Cosla has been, essentially, nil – and this now has forced an escalation in our action. The offer of a nine per cent real-terms pay cut, which is what is on the table, will never be acceptable."
Tory MSP Stephen Kerr said: "These strikes are a mess of Shirley-Anne Somerville’s making, and this latest escalation makes that inescapably clear. The EIS’s targeted strike action – in the constituencies of Shirley-Anne Somerville, John Swinney and Nicola Sturgeon – leaves the public in no doubt as to who they hold responsible for the repeated failure to resolve the pay dispute. It is a pity that children in the affected areas will suffer extra disruption as a result of the SNP’s disgraceful dithering."
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