Teachers accept 13% pay proposal after 'successful campaign'

27 March 2019, 15:21 | Updated: 27 March 2019, 15:29

Teachers across Scotland have overwhelmingly accepted a 13% pay proposal with their campaign heralded a significant success.

Members of the country's largest teaching union, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), voted to accept the Scottish Government's deal staggered over three years - bringing talk of further strike action to an end.

It offers a 3% rise backdated to last April, 7% from next month, and a further 3% from April 2020 with a total increase of 13.51%.

The proposal also includes additional commitments to tackle workload, support teacher professional development, and enhancing the leadership programme.

EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: "The EIS launched the Value Education, Value Teachers campaign in January last year, with the aim of securing a fair pay settlement for Scotland's teachers.

"The campaign has been a significant success and has now secured an improved proposal that will increase teachers' pay by at least 10% by this April, compared to current salary scales.

"Our members have given their overwhelming backing to this proposal, so the EIS will now move to formally conclude an agreement."

The ballot closed on Wednesday at noon with 98% of members voting in favour, with a 76% turnout.

Thousands of teachers marched through the streets of Glasgow last October as part of the campaign.

Mr Flanagan added: "The package is good news for Scotland's teaching professionals and for Scottish education, and it has been achieved by the unity and determination of EIS members across the country.

"This proposal, once formalised through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, will ensure a period of welcome stability for Scottish education.

"The enhanced salaries on offer, together with the additional commitments contained in the proposal, will help to attract new teachers and to keep experienced teachers in our schools.

"All that remains is for Cosla, as the employers, to formally adopt the proposal at its Leaders' Meeting on Friday of this week and to then make an official offer through the SNCT."

Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: "This is a positive outcome and reflects the partnership approach we want to take with local government and the professional associations, providing certainty on pay, a shared agenda on addressing workload, additional support for learning and empowering schools.

"Only Cosla as employers can make a formal pay offer and leaders will decide this on Friday.

"The Scottish Government will support a revised offer which takes industrial action on pay off the table and sets our shared agenda for the next two years."

Scottish Greens education spokesman Ross Greer MSP said: "The improvements to this pay offer are a testament to how hard teachers and their unions have campaigned for a fair deal.

"We recognise the pressures (teachers) are under, particularly given the 3,000 colleagues and thousands of support staff they have lost at the same time as their workload has exploded."