EIS threatens industrial action vote

Cosla said it had offered teachers a "generous" pay settlement

Scotland's largest teachers' union has warned that the chances of a vote on industrial action are growing after the failure of talks on pay and conditions.

The EIS failed to reach a deal with councils and the Scottish government at a meeting on Monday.

The union's concerns included pay, workload and the way supply teachers are paid.

Council umbrella body Cosla said teaching unions needed a "large dose of reality".

Cosla, which represents most council in Scotland, also described the pay offer to teachers as "more than fair and appropriate" in the current financial climate.

But the EIS said the offer it rejected offered no commitment on maintaining or enhancing teacher numbers beyond the current financial year.

'Further dialogue'

The union's other concerns included pay and conditions for short-term supply teachers and the fact an offer to tackle workload was linked to a pay offer.

It said that if there was no deal early in the new school year, a ballot on action was "inevitable".

EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: "We have rejected the offer that was placed on the table by the employers' side which fails to address our major concerns on excessive teacher workload, safeguarding teacher numbers, and restoring short-term supply teachers' pay and conditions while also falling short on a fair pay settlement for all teachers.

"We remain open to further dialogue with employers over the summer months in the hope of making progress on each of these elements.

"However, if no progress is made by early in the new school year in August, the EIS will ballot our members on the offer, with the prospect of industrial action should the package be rejected."

Mr Flanagan added: "Industrial action is always an option of last resort, but teachers are growing increasingly demoralised by their excessive workload which has been compounded by a number of factors including the decline in teacher numbers and the national shortage of supply teacher availability.

"Coupled with years of real-terms pay decline during a period of pay freezes and sub-inflation level pay awards, it is understandable that teachers are now looking for a fairer deal from their employers and from Scottish government."

'Best offer'

Councils employ teachers although their pay and terms and conditions is agreed nationally. Each council decides just how much to spend overall on education but the current council funding deal from the Scottish government also means councils cannot cut the number of teachers they employ.

Cosla's HR spokesman, Councillor Billy Hendry, said: "At a time when national government public sector pay policy is recommending pay increases of no more that 1%, and with inflation below zero, we have offered the teachers' unions a generous two year deal of 2.5% backdated to 1 April, 2015.

"Additionally, teacher numbers have been secured and a joint agreement reached with the unions which addresses their concerns over teacher workload.

"We have put our very best offer to the teachers' unions - better than recommended by the public sector pay policy. We have done this to give councils a settled period of financial planning and continuity in the services we provide to our communities.

"But it is also a good offer for teachers given the period of austerity we are living through and with the prospect of further pressures to come."

He added: "Councils are being more than fair to teachers and it would be difficult for local authorities - but also for the wider public sector workforce - to understand a move to industrial action.

"I would urge the teachers' unions to recognise the reality of where we are at this time in the finances of local government and to act with responsibility and accept the offer."