Scottish Teachers Reject Latest Pay Offer

3rd March 2019

At the meeting of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) Teachers' Side on 25 February 2019, it was announced that EIS had balloted its members and, with an 81% turnout, 57% voted to reject the latest pay offer and 43% to accept. AHDS and SSTA had also balloted their memberships, which had both voted to accept the offer.

All the feedback we are getting from Voice teaching members is that they are incredulous that the unions are not prepared to accept what is to them a generous offer and one that provides quite significant pay rises. Voice Scotland, however, is bound by the democratic and collective decision-making of the Teachers' Side structure, although this does not prevent us expressing our views.

Under Teachers’ Side standing orders, the collective view of the teaching unions prevails, so two votes were taken by a show of hands. The first vote was whether to accept or reject the latest offer. Voice Scotland, AHDS, SLS and SSTA (which have 4 votes in total) voted to accept the offer, but EIS and NASUWT (with 14 votes between them) voted to reject the offer, so the offer was rejected by the Teachers' Side.

A second vote was taken on whether to seek further negotiations with the employers and Scottish Government. Voice Scotland abstained, but the other 17 votes were to seek further negotiation.

EIS proposes moving to a statutory ballot for industrial action with the proviso that, if successful, any action does not take place during the SQA exam period. They will open the ballot on 11 March and it will run until 4 April, with the first day of industrial action planned for 24 April. NASUWT confirmed that it would ballot for industrial action on the same timeline.