Teaching union sets date for strike action later this month

Teachers in Scotland have voted to strike in a dispute over pay.

Teaching union, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) announced the results of its statutory ballot earlier today with 96 per cent of its members voting in favour of strike action on a turnout of 71 per cent.

Andrea Bradley, EIS General Secretary, 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 the last pay offer – a sub-inflation five per cent – was rejected by teachers almost three months ago and since then there has been no new offer made.

Following a special meeting of the EIS Executive Committee this afternoon, it was announced the first day of action will take place on Thursday, November 24.

Further industrial action dates will be agreed at a normal meeting of EIS Executive tomorrow.

Ms Bradley added: “The EIS will be calling its members in all of Scotland’s schools out on strike action on Thursday, November 24, in the first day of national strike action on pay for almost 40 years.

"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.

"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.”