Teachers in Scotland follow nurses in voting for strike action

Teachers in Scotland have announced plans to strike, with 96% of members in the profession’s biggest union backing walkouts less than 24 hours after nurses took the same decision.The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) announced on Thursday that the vast majority of its members had voted in favour of walkouts, which could start as early as this month.With the ballot boasting a 71% turnout of the union’s members, its general secretary has called for a ‘greatly improved pay offer’ to avert action. The last offer of a 5% increase was rejected by 94% of members who voted.The announcement comes in the wake of members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) voting to strike, rejecting a flat £2,205 pay offer from the Scottish Government.Yet more action could be on the way in Scotland, with other NHS staff – excluding doctors – yet to close strike ballots, while the NASUWT, another teaching union, is due to close its vote on January 6.Unison suspended its strike action in order to ballot its members on the offer, while the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and GMB members in the Scottish Ambulance Service and some NHS boards – including in NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde – voted last week to back strikes.Civil servants will also walk out in Scotland after members of the PCS union across the UK voted to back the action, while university lecturers represented by the UCU union voted this week to strike. Cosla and the Scottish Government really must now pay attention to Scotland’s teachers and they must come back with a greatly improved pay offerAndrea Bradley, EIS general secretaryEIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said: ‘A move to strike action is always a last resort, but our members have become increasingly angry over their treatment by their employers and by the Scottish Government.’The last pay offer, a sub-inflation 5%, was rejected by Scotland’s teachers almost three months ago. Since then there has been no new offer made, despite a strong desire on the part of teachers for a fair deal to be struck.’In the current context – with the cost of living soaring, and prices of food and fuel, housing and heating continuing to climb ever higher – our members are neither willing nor able to accept a deep real-terms cut to their pay.'(Local authority body) Cosla and the Scottish Government really must now pay attention to Scotland’s teachers and they must come back with a greatly improved pay offer if strike action starting this month is to be avoided.’An executive committee of the EIS will now convene to discuss options for strike action, including dates, and the union warned walkouts could come before the end of this month.NHS staff are yet to announce when they will take action, but the RCN said walkouts would be similar to reducing staffing levels to that of a weekend, with a focus on emergency care.Scottish Deputy First Minister John Swinney, who is also currently in charge of the country’s finances, has repeatedly said there is no money left to increase pay deals, leaving the path to a resolution unclear.Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said on Thursday the Scottish Government is ‘absolutely committed’ to reaching a ‘fair pay offer’ for teachers.Elsewhere, the threat of rail disruption over Christmas looms as members of the RMT union working with Network Rail are currently being balloted for a fresh mandate for strikes, with a result expected early next week.The union has also threatened walkouts every Friday and Saturday in the lead up to Christmas over a separate dispute with ScotRail.Disruption on the newly-nationalised service became a fixture in the early summer, with ScotRail forced to cancel hundreds of services in response to industrial action.