Teachers have been taking to the picket lines again this week as they continue to fight for a 10 per cent pay rise.
Members of the EIS and NASWUT unions will stage a 48-hour walk out today and tomorrow, closing all primary and secondary schools.
And the teachers also announced a further strikes this month that will close all West Lothian all secondaries on Monday, March 27, all primaries on Thursday, March 23 and all schools on Friday, March 24.
Most schools saw picket lines outside the gates and General Secretary of EIS, Andrea Bradley turned up at St Kentigern's Academy in Blackburn to give her support.
It’s now over a year since Scottish teachers submitted their claim for a 10 per cent pay increase through the SNCT, the tripartite negotiating mechanism which exists to negotiate teachers’ pay.
They say they continue to be “resolute” in their fight.
Heather Hughes, EIS West Lothian local association secretary ex-president of the EIS, said: “Many teachers are parents themselves and have families to feed and homes to heat during this cost-of-living crisis.
“Striking and closing schools is a last resort for teachers. It is not something that they do lightly as they care deeply about the young people they teach.
“We have been left with no option though as The Scottish Government and our employers COSLA have treated us with contempt over the last year.
“What happened to the Scottish Government’s previous statement that they wanted to be judged on Education? Treating teachers with contempt is hardly what we expected from that statement!
“We would ask parents to support us by using their powers to settle this dispute. They can do this by contacting their MSPs and urging them to negotiate and settle this dispute by offering teachers a fair pay deal and not another cut in pay.”
The Scottish Government has stressed from the beginning a 10 per cent pay rise unaffordable.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, the education secretary, has said how “unacceptable” is it that the strike action continues to disrupt the education of young people. This is particularly a concern in the run-up to exam season.
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