School strikes: Scotland's largest teaching union accepts pay deal

Members of Scotland's largest teaching union - the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) - have accepted a pay deal to end the school strikes.

BBC Scotland news correspondent Jamie McIvor said: "The teachers' strike is now effectively over."

Teachers will receive a 7% pay rise backdated to last April, a further 5% next month and 2% in January.

Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said it was a "fair, affordable and sustainable" offer.

The EIS, SSTA and NASUWT teaching unions have been in a wage dispute with the Scottish government for a year.

Members of the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA) also voted to accept the deal and the NASUWT have said they will ask their members if they want to accept the offer.

Teachers had initially demanded a 10% increase this year, with the dispute seeing almost all schools in Scotland closed by a series of strikes.

Unions argue that inflation - which sees the cost of things, like food and fuel go up - is above 10%.

Many wages aren't increasing by the same amount as inflation so many people are struggling to pay for things - something called the cost of living crisis.

The EIS was due to hold further strike days between 13 March and 21 April.

In England and Wales, school strikes are still due to take place on 15 and 16 March.