UK
Somerville: No stone will be left unturned in bid to resolve school strikes

PA Scotland reporters
Tue, January 10, 2023 

Scotland’s Education Secretary has said she will leave “no stone unturned” to bring about a quick resolution of teacher strikes affecting schools across the country.

Shirley-Anne Somerville responded to questions from opposition MSPs about the ongoing industrial action, with one accusing her of being “chilled out and relaxed”.

Ms Somerville said there is still “some distance” between the two sides in the pay dispute.

On Tuesday, primary schools around the country closed after last-ditch talks failed to prevent strike action, with secondary school staff set to walk out on Wednesday.

Teachers have been out on strike in the dispute over pay (Jane Barlow/PA)

Unions have demanded a 10% pay increase but the Scottish Government has offered 5%, including rises of up to 6.85% for the lowest-paid staff.

A meeting of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), which brings together unions, local authorities and the Scottish Government, took place on Monday in an attempt to avert the strike action.

As the Scottish Parliament resumed following the winter recess, Conservative Stephen Kerr spoke about the SNCT meeting.

He said: “Teachers are on strike for the first time in 40 years, because this SNP Government has repeatedly let them down.”

Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland union also took strike action last year (Jane Barlow/PA)

Ms Somerville said it had been “constructive”, adding that she could not give further details while negotiations are ongoing.

Referring to “anti-trade union” legislation at Westminster, she continued: “I will take no lectures from Mr Kerr or any other Conservative member of this parliament, saying that we should be doing more to actually settle disputes.”

The Lib Dems’ Willie Rennie asked if there would be a new offer for teachers, saying: “The Education Secretary does seem to be very chilled out and relaxed.”

Ms Somerville said both sides in the dispute would have to compromise in order to reach a resolution, adding: “We will, of course, leave no stone unturned to try and do that as quickly as possible.


“No one wants to see strike action in our schools.”

Speaking on BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland programme earlier, Ms Somerville described the union pay demands as “simply unaffordable”.

After talks ended in failure, members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), NASUWT, Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) and the Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland (AHDS) are taking strike action.

It follows SSTA and NASUWT members taking two days of action in December while EIS members walked out on November 24.

Asked whether she expected a new offer to be on the table before the end of the week, Ms Somerville said: “We’ll continue discussions with the unions.

“I think the challenge that we have is we remain some distance apart on what the Scottish Government and local government can afford and can put on the table from the union demand which is, of course, a 10% increase in pay.

“If that had been accepted, if the 5% had been accepted, you would’ve actually seen teachers have a 21.8% cumulative rise since 2018.

“So we’re trying very hard to have a fair and affordable package on the table but we do remain unfortunately some distance apart.”

She added: “The pay demands we’re having from our trade union colleagues are simply unaffordable for the Scottish Government working on a fixed budget, already allocated, also eroded by inflation and that does make it a very difficult and challenging process to come to a conclusion and resolution on.”

Earlier in the programme, Mike Corbett, NASUWT Scotland national official, echoed the concerns that unions and Government were still far away from agreement on pay.

He said the last offer made in November was “dressed up as an improved offer” but did not improve pay for the “vast majority of teachers”.

He added: “There’s still no formal revised offer on the table and that is the reason why our members and others feel they’ve got no alternative but to be out on strike again today and tomorrow.”

Nicola Sturgeon also spoke to journalists about the strike on Tuesday.

The First Minister said: “I deeply regret that we have industrial action in our schools.

“I don’t think that’s in the interest of young people at all.

“That said, I understand the strength of feeling of teachers and we highly value the teaching profession.”

However, she said: “I can’t create additional funding that we don’t have and I’ve tried to be really honest with unions across the public sector.

“We’re trying to be as fair as possible while maximising pay increases.”

Primary schools shut as teachers strike in pay dispute

Emma Lawson, PA Scotland
Tue, January 10, 2023 

School pupils will miss lessons this week as teachers walk out after last-ditch talks between Scottish Government officials and teaching unions failed to prevent strike action.

Primary schools around the country are shut as teaching union members there take strike action on Tuesday, while staff at secondary schools will walk out on Wednesday in a dispute over pay.

A meeting of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), which brings together unions, local authorities and the Scottish Government, took place on Monday in an attempt to avert the strikes.

Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), NASUWT, Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) and Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland (AHDS) are now taking strike action.

Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) took strike action last year (Jane Barlow/PA)

The action this week comes after SSTA and NASUWT members took two days of strike action in December while EIS members walked out on November 24.

Discussions were previously held on Friday, which Scotland’s Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville described as “constructive and helpful”.

She had previously urged union members to “reconsider their plans for industrial action while talks are ongoing”.

However unions said if there was no new offer then strike action would go ahead.

The current offer would see most staff in classrooms receive a 5% pay rise, although the lowest-earning teachers would get a 6.85% increase.

Unions have demanded a 10% increase.

Mike Corbett, NASUWT Scotland national official, said there is still “quite a distance” between what is currently on the table and what teachers are looking for.

He told BBC Radio Scotland’s Good Morning Scotland programme: “We can’t forget the fact that that last offer that was made in November, which was dressed up as an improved offer, was only really an improved offer for those at the bottom of the salary scale, it remained for the vast majority of teachers the 5% offer that had been around for some months and had been firmly rejected by all.


“There’s still no formal revised offer on the table and that is the real reason why our members and others feel they’ve got no alternative but to be out on strike again today and tomorrow.”

Asked whether the union would be prepared to settle for somewhere between what they are being offered and 10%, he said: “I think what would need to happen first of all is there needs to be a properly improved offer tabled and – we are a member-led union – if we get what we deem to be a decent offer then it’s up to our members to decide what they think about it, but we’re just not at that stage at the moment, although there are some grounds for optimism, the fact that there have been talks on Friday and Monday and there’s been a little bit of progress made.”

EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said: “The SNCT negotiating meeting, held today (Monday) following a request from teacher unions, did not result in any new pay offer from the Scottish Government and Cosla (Convention of Scottish Local Authorities).

“This means that strike action, planned for Tuesday in primary schools and for Wednesday in secondary schools, will proceed as scheduled.”

“It is disappointing, though not surprising, that no new offer was presented today, despite some positive progress in discussions.

“The union side remains willing to talk, at any time, with a view to reaching a resolution to this dispute.

“While it is now too late to halt this week’s strike action in schools, we hope that fresh talks may take place later this week to advance discussions towards an improved offer.

“Only a significantly improved offer from the Scottish Government and Cosla can bring an end to this dispute.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said the meeting on Monday provided a crucial opportunity to further discuss potential areas for agreement.

“While there was a shared understanding that today’s talks were focused on examining options for compromise, rather than tabling a new offer, dialogue was constructive,” he said.

“The Scottish Government continues to urge teaching unions to reconsider their plans for industrial action while talks are ongoing.

“Strikes in our schools are in no-one’s interest – including for pupils, parents and carers who have already had to deal with significant disruption over the past three years.

“We value our teaching workforce and recognise the vital importance of an agreement on pay, but we cannot escape the unprecedented pressures facing Scotland’s budget.

“While we have been clear that a 10% pay increase is unaffordable within the Scottish Government’s fixed budget, we remain absolutely committed to a fair and sustainable pay deal.”

Seumas Searson, general secretary of the SSTA, said: “Members are taking part in the strike this week to send a hard message to the employer and Scottish Government that teachers demand to be respected and receive a professional salary that will act to retain teachers in Scottish schools.”