EIS Announces 16 New Strike Dates For Teachers As Dispute Over 5% Pay Offer Intensifies

28th November 2022

The EIS has announced an additional sixteen days of strike action in schools across Scotland, as a dispute over a sub-inflationary 5% pay offer for teachers intensifies.

Yesterday, in the first day of national pay strike action by teachers in four decades, EIS members were on the picket lines as the strike led to the closure of every state school on mainland Scotland.

Speaking from a meeting of the national EIS Council, where the new programme of strike dates was agreed, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, "Scotland's teachers responded magnificently to yesterday's day of strike action, turning out in their tens of thousands on picket lines, at demos and at campaign rallies across Scotland.

"Members have been greatly angered by the actions of the Scottish Government and COSLA who - after three months of delay - came back earlier this week with the same 5% pay offer that our members had already rejected overwhelmingly. Yesterday's strike action was a clear message: Scotland's teachers are not going to be fooled by spin from COSLA and the Scottish Government, and we are determined to make a strong stand until we receive a substantially improved fair pay settlement for all teachers."

Ms Bradley added, "In addition to their annoyance over the rehashed 5% offer itself, our members have been further angered by the behaviour of the Scottish Government and COSLA over the way that the offer was presented."

"Having dragged the process out for three months, they waited until 30 minutes before the EIS was due to meet to consider the revised proposal, to actually present their reheated 5% offer. They then released it to the press, with all their accompanying spin, before the EIS Salaries Committee had even had a chance to discuss the offer. In these bad-faith actions, the Scottish Government and COSLA have displayed little respect for the agreed negotiating process, and even less respect for Scotland's hard-working teachers."

Announcing the agreed programme of 16 consecutive days of strike action for January and February, Ms Bradley said, "The EIS will move ahead with our previously announced two additional days of national strike action in January. We can also now confirm that Scotland's teachers will strike on sixteen consecutive days in January and February, with teachers in two local authorities on strike on each of these sixteen days."

"We have been forced into the escalation of this action by the lack of willingness to negotiate properly and to pay teachers properly, by a government that says it wished to be judged on its record on education. The judgement of Scotland's teachers on the matter of pay is clear, with the first programme of national strike action that we have engaged in for four decades. It is now for the Scottish Government and COSLA to resolve this dispute, and prevent further strike action, by coming back to the negotiating table with a substantially improved pay offer for all of Scotland's teaching professionals."

Strike Action Schedule
2023
Monday 16th Jan
Glasgow
East Lothian

Tuesday 17th
Perth and Kinross
North Ayrshire

Wednesday 18th
Orkney
Fife

Thursday 19th
Moray
North Lanarkshire

Friday 20th
Angus
East Dunbartonshire

Monday 23rd
East Ayrshire
Dumfries and Galloway

Tuesday 24th
Stirling
East Renfrewshire

Wednesday 25th
South Ayrshire
Edinburgh

Thursday 26th
Midlothian
West Dunbartonshire

Friday 27th
Renfrewshire
Falkirk

Monday 30th
Aberdeenshire
Borders

Tuesday 31st
Highland
West Lothian

Wednesday 1st February
Clackmannanshire
Aberdeen

Thursday 2nd
Dundee
Argyll and Bute

Friday 3rd
South Lanarkshire
Western Isles

Monday 6th
Inverclyde
Shetland