NASUWT Scotland members take further strike action over pay
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Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union in Scotland will be taking two further days of strike action tomorrow (Tuesday) and Wednesday in its ongoing dispute with the Scottish Government and employers over teachers’ pay.
Tomorrow at 11am NASUWT members will be staging a lobby of employers outside COSLA’s headquarters in Edinburgh to call for a pay offer which represents a real-terms pay rise for teachers.
Last week NASUWT members rejected the revised pay offer of 6 per cent with effect from April 2022 and 5.5 per cent with effect from April 2023.
With the rate of inflation remaining at almost its 40-year high point this offer still represented a real terms pay cut.
Alongside the strike action, NASUWT members are continuing to undertake ongoing action short of strike action. Members are refusing to cover for absent colleagues and are attending no more than one meeting per week outside pupil sessions.
Members are continuing to teach, plan lessons, and assess pupils’ work.
Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said: “The decision of our members to reject the revised pay offer and continue with industrial action reflects the level of anger and frustration towards ministers and employers at their refusal to offer teachers a real-terms pay rise.
“Teachers feel taken for granted by the Scottish Government and COSLA who seem to expect them to be satisfied with yet another year of pay erosion as their workloads become steadily more demanding.
“Three-quarters of members who responded to our consultative survey on the latest pay award expressed support for further industrial action to secure an improved pay offer. Members are determined and ready to continue to fight for a pay award that is worthy of their hard work and skills.
“Ministers and employers should be clear of our members’ resolve and work with us to bring forward proposals to improve pay and working conditions that the profession can support.”
Mike Corbett, NASUWT National Official Scotland, said: “We will be taking our action campaign to the doorstep of employers tomorrow so that they are not left in any doubt about the strength of teachers’ feelings over pay.
“We urge them to listen to our members and agree to work with us to develop a fair pay award that can avert the need for further industrial action.”
They will be joined in the two day strike by members of the EIS, with schools across the north-east at primary and secondary level closed.
Strike action will not affect early learning settings and school lets and these will be open and operate as usual. Schools will reopen on Thursday, March 2.
