The first national teachers’ strike in Scotland since the 1980s is going place with a one-day walkout.
Students at practically every elementary and secondary school, as well as a large number of council nurseries, are affected by the wage-related strike.
Tuesday’s amended compensation offer was rejected by unions as “insulting.”
However, Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville stated that a 10% wage increase was “unaffordable.”
Ms. Somerville deemed Cosla’s latest wage offer, which would have resulted in increases of up to 6.85 percent for the lowest-paid employees, to be reasonable.
The EIS now represents almost 80% of the nation’s teachers, and its efforts are eliminating nearly all elementary, secondary, and special education schools.
Few primary schools in Orkney and Shetland will remain operational.
Many early childhood education centers and nurseries are also impacted.
The current wage offer would result in a minimum 5% raise for all teachers on the main pay grade.
However, according to the EIS, over half of the headteachers and deputy headteachers whose incomes exceed £60,000 would receive a raise of less than 5%.
‘Awful offer’
One instructor believed that more teachers would have joined the walkout if they had known about Tuesday’s offer.
Jehan, who works in Edinburgh, stated, “After that dreadful offer, I believe any teachers who were contemplating staying at home quietly were compelled to make banners and attend one of the ongoing marches.
“We are requesting a 10% raise to keep our pay in line with the current inflation rate of 11%.”
“As members of the general public, we are also feeling the pinch of this cost-of-living crisis, so even if we were to receive a 10% raise, we would still be somewhat below inflation. Therefore, it does not constitute a wage increase.”
She continued, “We far exceed the 35-hour workweek. The lengthy vacation that people usually criticize us for does not come close to compensating for the number of hours we put into our jobs, and many instructors work during the summer to prepare for the following term.
She stated that many instructors considered their jobs to be extremely demanding and that the salary was “just not adequate.”
She stated, “We are professionals that perform a really difficult job.” We are highly educated yet not compensated like other professionals are.
Andrew, an Angus-based educator, told the show that a strike was extremely challenging.
“Our first responsibility is to care for and educate young people. We adore doing this, but we want to be compensated at a rate comparable to inflation,” he remarked.
His family was losing two days’ pay owing to the strike, he claimed.
“Today, two of us are absent,” he continued. “It was something we both believed in and felt compelled to do to save the rest of the family for the future.
“It’s a fight, but we must strive for it. Hopefully, the Scottish government, Cosla [the councils’ umbrella organization], and the unions can return to the negotiating table and reach an agreement.”
Roisin McArthur, an EIS representative, and teacher at Govan Gaelic Primary School stated, “We regret that the Scottish government and Cosla have compelled us to do this. This is something we truly do not wish to be doing. It is a final option.
If individuals truly want to invest in children and the future of Scotland, they must invest in education and teachers.
She stated that teachers on the picket line had received “outstanding” public support.
She stated, “There has been a multitude of cars honking their horns.” People have been waving at us, and it’s quite motivating and exciting to see how much support we’re receiving today.
Picket lines
Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) and the Association of Head Teachers and Deputies Scotland (AHDS) will be on picket lines and participating in rallies outside schools in Aberdeen, Dundee, Glasgow, and Inverness in the morning, and outside the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh in the afternoon.
EIS has warned that additional strikes cannot be excluded in December.
In addition, it was stated that primary school teachers planned to strike on January 10 and secondary school teachers the next day, with further industrial action planned for February.
The Scottish Secondary Teachers Association and NASUWT intend to strike on December 7 and 8, resulting in the closure of certain schools and the disruption of others’ schedules.
Today is a day that neither the Scottish Government nor the EIS union ever anticipated seeing.
This is the first nationwide teachers’ strike in Scotland since the protracted, acrimonious conflict of the mid-1980s.
The EIS and other unions expect that today’s walkout will be the only one of its kind.
Councils and the Scottish government would have to make very difficult decisions to provide a 10% pay increase to unions.
In and of itself, the educational impact of a one-day strike will be minimal.
However, it arrives as schools begin to recover from the pandemic’s effects. Loss of instructional time is never a positive development.
It also implies that the focus that should have been on boosting academic achievement or assisting students who fell behind during the pandemic would instead be on mitigating the effects of disruption.
Andrea Bradley, general secretary of the EIS, stated that the union was “forced into this strike” following months of negotiations with Cosla and the Scottish government.
She stated, “They have made a succession of substandard proposals that are much below the rate of inflation and considerably below the reasonable expectations of Scotland’s hard-working teaching professionals.”
Ms. Bradley stated that teachers reacted with “great outrage” to the latest offer from Cosla.
“Their much-touted ‘generous and progressive’ offer is worth an extra 71p per week to Scotland’s teachers, on average, compared to the offer that was previously rejected. There is no charge for the majority of teachers, as 80% of teachers are still offered 5%.”
Representatives of parents stated that strikes might cause problems for families.
Leanne McGuire of the Glasgow City Parent’s Group stated that school closures would be especially tough for single working parents, those without a support network, and children with special needs.
In an interview with Good Morning Scotland, she stated, “The majority of parents understand why parents are striking, and we support anyone’s right to strike for better conditions, but that does not alleviate the concerns of how some families will cope today.
It’s not only a matter of looking for a babysitter; there are other factors to consider as well.
Erica, an S4 student, told the BBC that the strike had been disclosed to senior students who take topics such as Modern Studies, but she was concerned that younger students had not been informed.
She continued, “I’m quite concerned about missing a school day because I want to perform well on my examinations. No one likes to go on strike, but if my teachers believe this is their last resort, I wholeheartedly back them.”
Shirley-Anne Somerville, meanwhile, expressed “extreme disappointment” that strike action would disturb children and families.
She stated that the Scottish government could not afford a 10% salary raise.
“We have a fixed budget that is already fully utilized for this year, so anything that would raise the resolution we have on this would necessitate further funding.”
Other strikes
During the last national strike by teachers in Scotland, which occurred in the mid-1980s, it was uncommon for schools to close.
Students could still take classes with teachers belonging to different unions.
The school strikes in Scotland coincide with industrial action across the United Kingdom on Thursday.
At 150 universities, University and College Union (UCU) employees are on strike to protest salaries, working conditions, and pension cuts.
After failed negotiations, Royal Mail employees are returning to picket lines for ten further strike days during the busiest period of the year for the postal service.
Meanwhile, teachers in other regions of the United Kingdom are being asked if they wish to strike over salary.
In a separate issue, employees at seventeen Scottish institutions are planning to strike on Thursday, Friday, and November 30.
It is anticipated that approximately 8,000 workers in Scotland would join a nationwide strike over salary, working conditions, and pensions.
The University and College Union (UCU) anticipated that some tutorials and lectures would be canceled, however, the impact would vary by school.
