Teachers Walk Out for Better Pay

Outside the gates of our empty school on a cold January morning, clad in bright vests and bearing signs, teachers in the EIS union stand undeterred. Their purpose is to make a concerted effort to put pressure on COSLA and the Scottish Government, with an aim to secure an improved pay offer.

At the time of interview in early January, the Scottish Government had offered a 5% pay rise, which Mr Baker, Principal Teacher of Chemistry, considered “derisory”, barely going any way to compensate for the loss in effective income for all teaching staff due to inflation. Mr Baker notes that teachers have experienced “a drop in wages over the last ten to twelve years between 20% and 25%. We believe the job that we do, the job that we do every day, is worthy of the pay rise we’re fighting for.”

There are deeper concerns underlying the strike action too, as some teachers worry that with pay failing to keep up with inflation, it will cease to be a competitive salary and talented staff will seek employment elsewhere. Mrs Shaw, a Biology Teacher, told us “There’s an increasing number of staff willing to leave the profession - people who have been doing it for a long time.”

There are several other issues raised relating to teacher workload, class contact time and work hours, but Mr Baker stressed that “this campaign is solely about pay”.

With large swathes of the teaching staff striking, tensions inevitably arise with those teachers who choose to continue working through, especially as they cross the picket line. Mr Baker acknowledged that it is entirely their choice, and there are various pressures, financial or otherwise, which can prevent staff from taking part. “With every strike action we take we’re losing money, but we’re prepared to stand up to that, but I don’t have an issue with staff who feel, for whatever reason, that they have to go into school. It’s disappointing, but I understand it.”

The timing of these strikes has been particularly unfortunate, with the January action coinciding with the run-up to prelims. One parent expressed concerns that “it has an effect on our children’s learning especially since they have exams, and the strikes can negatively affect their performance.” However, the general consensus among parents and pupils alike is that they deserve the pay that they are fighting for, and that “the Scottish Government should pay more attention to the need for better pay for teachers since they’ve been underpaid for so long.”

Mr Baker concluded with a message to those in power – “Listen to us. Actively engage with what we’re asking for, look at the statistics, look at the figures, look at what teachers have done and continue to do, and come to a compromise quickly, because we will not stop.”

“Stick it to the man!” added Mr Robertson.

Following our interview with the members of EIS in January, the EIS union (which represents over 80% of Scotland’s teachers) voted overwhelmingly in favour of an improved pay offer from the Scottish Government in early March, drawing a close to strike action for the time being.