The presidents of the unions have expressed “deep regret” at the fact that thousands of students in Scotland will experience another unplanned day off owing to teacher strikes.
Members of the SSTA and NASUWT unions are participating in the second day of industrial action, stating that they have no other choice in light of the ongoing pay dispute.
If they do not receive a “much improved” offer, unions have threatened additional strikes.
The Scottish government stated that the salary requirements were “unaffordable.”
It follows the EIS strike, which forced nearly all schools to close on November 24th, and the rejection of the most recent salary proposal.
Unions were granted a wage increase of between 5% and 6.85%, while the EIS is demanding a 10% increase.
The National Association of State University and College Teachers (NASUT) announced on Tuesday its desire for a 12 percent fully-funded raise for the 2022-23 school year.
On Wednesday, union members in 17 local council areas boycotted classes, and on Thursday, the remaining 15 council areas followed suit, resulting in the partial closure of numerous schools.
Iain Glennie, assistant general secretary of the SSTA union, stated that he anticipates additional strike action in January if the employers’ plan is not “substantially improved.”
He argued that the most recent offer of compensation was “slightly better” than the previous one, which was refused.
Mr. Glennie stated the following on a picket line in front of a Glasgow school: “These members do not wish to be on a picket line because teaching is their calling.
“They are prevented from teaching, despite their desire to do so. This is what we must do to demonstrate our argument.
Therefore, we are sorry for the inconvenience this will cause, but if the Scottish government does not significantly alter the offer, this is what will occur.
Mr. Glennie stated that the unions were eager to resume conversations with both the government and the local government organization Cosla, adding that no talks had occurred since November 22.
Wednesday saw industrial action in Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, Eilean Siar, the City of Glasgow, Highland, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire, Orkney, Renfrewshire, Shetland, South Ayrshire, South Lanarkshire, and West Dunbartonshire.
On Thursday, the following local governments were affected: City of Aberdeen; Angus; Aberdeenshire; Clackmannanshire; Dundee City; City of Edinburgh; East Lothian; Falkirk; Fife; Midlothian; Moray; Perth and Kinross; Scottish Borders; Stirling; and West Lothian.
In the majority of regions, partial or total school closures are expected to cause disruption.
Despite affecting primarily secondary institutions, a few elementary schools are also affected. A third of the councils anticipated “substantial” disruption.
In many schools where preliminary examinations are taking place, older students are given priority while younger students are given the day off.
Last Wednesday, the Scottish government’s most recent salary offer was formally rejected.
According to the NASUWT, a typical teacher in Scotland is approximately £50,000 poorer as a result of their salary not keeping pace with inflation since 2010. This loss, they claim, will be exacerbated by the current below-inflation pay offer.
The union also indicated that, following this week’s strikes, members would begin a program of ongoing action, which would include refusing to cover for absent colleagues and attending only one meeting per week outside of pupil sessions.
Mike Corbett, NASUWT National Official for Scotland, told the PA news agency that members were “angry” after being forced to suffer a “substantial, real terms pay loss” for the second consecutive year due to soaring inflation.
He cautioned that the issue will likely persist unless companies and the Scottish government improve their offer to all teachers.
Mr. Corbett said: “On November 22, a revised offer was presented, but while it was an improvement for those at the lower end of the income range, it was the same offer for all experienced classroom teachers, and for some in promoted positions, it was a worse offer.
“Therefore, this was instantly rejected by all teacher unions, and unless businesses and the government come back with a better offer for all teachers, I fear that the struggle may continue.”
He continued, “Our members do not want to be on strike, they do not want to be disturbing children’s education in any way, but they hope that this, the last thing they can do, will conclude the dispute by presenting a revised and improved offer.”
Engage constructively
The pay offer offered by employers before the EIS strike a fortnight ago has not been enhanced or altered.
So, is this argument currently stalemated? Or, will a new offer be presented in time to prevent the next round of strikes following the holidays?
The Scottish government has made it very apparent that a larger wage increase would necessitate more severe cuts and reductions elsewhere.
The second potential concern is that teachers, who are employed by councils, may receive a larger salary increase than other local authority employees, including those with much lower earnings.
When submitting their next salary claim, the council unions would very probably take this into account.
No one, however, desires the prospect of regular school strikes.
The teachers’ unions will have seen that an enhanced salary offer was offered to NHS employees in the face of a strike threat.
Typically, compromise is required to resolve industrial conflicts. Rarely does a single party obtain all of its desired outcomes? But typically one side must blink first.
Shirley-Anne Somerville, secretary of education, remarked: “Strike action is not in the best interests of anyone, least of all students, parents, and caregivers. We are committed to a fair, sustainable settlement for teachers in Scotland and will continue to engage teaching unions and Cosla constructively.
“It is quite sad that the teaching unions have rejected the most recent offer, the fourth that has been presented to unions, which mirrors the agreement agreed by other local government employees.
“Within the budget constraints of the Scottish government, a 10% raise for all teachers, even the highest-paid, is unaffordable.
“While it is the responsibility of councils to manage the impact of industrial action, I expect schools to remain open whenever possible to minimize disruption. Individual regions would be subject to closure based on risk assessments.”
The pay offer offered by employers before the EIS strike a fortnight ago has not been enhanced or altered.
So, is this argument currently stalemated? Or, will a new offer be presented in time to prevent the next round of strikes following the holidays?
The Scottish government has made it very apparent that a larger wage increase would necessitate more severe cuts and reductions elsewhere.
The second potential concern is that teachers, who are employed by councils, may receive a larger salary increase than other local authority employees, including those with much lower earnings.
When submitting their next salary claim, the council unions would very probably take this into account.
No one, however, desires the prospect of regular school strikes.
The teachers’ unions will have seen that an enhanced salary offer was offered to NHS employees in the face of a strike threat.
Typically, compromise is required to resolve industrial conflicts. Rarely does a single party obtain all of its desired outcomes? But typically one side must blink first.
The EIS has stated that its members should not cover striking coworkers in the two other unions.
It stated: “The EIS position is that no member should perform any duties that would typically be performed by striking union members of another union.
“We are aware that some local authorities are attempting to impose pressure on teachers to provide cover, but the EIS considers it inappropriate for our members to be asked to take a striking break for coworkers of another trade union engaging in legitimate industrial action in a shared issue.
“The EIS will provide full assistance to any member who is subjected to this form of intimidation by their employer.”
Additional strike announcements have been made.
The EIS reports that its members in elementary schools will participate in a countrywide strike on 10 January, while those in secondary schools will strike the day after.
The union has also declared that there will be sixteen extra days of strikes in January and February.
