Two more Scottish school strike days announced

The latest strikes will fall as senior pupils prepare for prelim exams

Scotland's largest teaching union has announced two more strike days in a dispute over pay.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said its members in primary schools will strike on 10 January.

This will be followed by strikes at secondary schools on 11 January. All EIS members are already due to strike on Thursday 24 November.

The union said employers had failed to make a new pay offer after a meeting on Thursday afternoon.

Teachers have been offered a 5% pay rise by local authority body Cosla but the teaching trade unions want 10% to reflect rising inflation.

The Scottish government has previously warned there is no more money to fund public sector pay rises.

EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said: "The ball is very much in the court of Cosla and the Scottish government - only an improved and acceptable offer can prevent strike action and an escalation to further action in this dispute".

She added that the meeting about a new pay deal "seems to have been called simply to make it appear as though talks are progressing".

• No more money to fund public sector pay rises

• Scottish secondary teachers vote for strike action

• Secondary school teachers reject 5% pay offer

The 10 January strike will involve EIS members at primary schools, nurseries and primary-level special schools, with high schools and secondary-level special schools being affected the next day.

This strike will fall when some secondary pupils will be sitting their prelim exams.

Members of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association have also voted to go on strike in the week beginning 5 December.

The Scottish government previously said it was "committed to supporting a fair pay offer" through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers - the body that negotiates pay and conditions of service.

The teachers' strike comes as health unions are also gearing up for industrial action over the NHS pay offer.

The action next Thursday by the EIS will lead to most of Scotland's state schools being closed.

Several major councils - including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Dundee, North Lanarkshire and Fife - have said all their primary and secondary schools will be shut if next Thursday's strike goes ahead.

The union is also warning of further action spread over two days in January - one day will target primaries, the other secondaries.

Meanwhile the smaller SSTA union is also planning a strike in December. This will cause significant disruption in many secondary schools.

There was a degree of surprise amongst some in the union that a new pay offer was not presented at this afternoon's meeting of the committee which negotiates teachers pay.

But even if a new offer is made, will it be enough to avert action?

Teachers want a 10% pay rise - double the current offer.

The EIS hopes the mere threat of action will lead to a suitable pay offer and that a strike will not be necessary.

But time to do this is running out.