Council's legal threat stops teachers' strike

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates accused Glasgow council of "disregarding" teachers' rights

The 24-hour strike planned by a teachers' union has been cancelled after legal threats by Glasgow city council.

The National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers (NASUWT) has accused the council of acting "unreasonably and aggressively".

The strike was intended to take place on Thursday, 23 November.

St Andrew's Secondary School, Eastbank Academy and All Saints Secondary School were the three schools to be involved.

Another strike scheduled for Thursday, 30 November will go ahead. The schools affected will be Kirkintilloch High School, Lenzie Academy and Bearsden Academy in East Dunbartonshire.

A strike at three East Dunbartonshire schools will go ahead on Thursday, 30 November

The dispute is about pay, working conditions and job losses.

NASUWT say that the council's grounds for legal action remain unclear. In a letter to the council, they stated their intention to withdraw the strike action in order to protect its members from the "anxiety of protracted legal proceedings".

A spokesman for Glasgow city council said: "We took advice on the legal nature of the action after the surprise announcement of a strike about national pay and conditions - something the council has no control over."

NASUWT general secretary Chris Keates said Glasgow city council had a history of "disregarding the rights and working conditions of teachers and other public sector workers and using public money indefensibly to pursue legal action".

"The council should be ashamed of seeking to deny teachers their right to defend their terms and conditions of service," she said.

The union maintains its right to announce escalated industrial action in Glasgow in the future. Action short of striking remains in place.