Scottish teachers’ massive rejection of pay insult

Jim Halfpenny, West Dunbartonshire EIS joint secretary (personal capacity)

In an indicative ballot, members of the EIS, who make up over 80% of teachers in Scotland, have voted overwhelmingly to reject a derisory 5% pay offer and to take industrial action including strike action.

The turnout for the ballot conducted over just two weeks was a phenomenal 78%, with 91% voting in favour of strike action and 94% to reject the 5% offer.

This will leave the employers and the Scottish government in no doubt that strike action is inevitable unless they substantially increase the offer.

This vote comes on the back of the previously insulting pay offers of 2.5% and then 3%. Unless a major improvement is made to the current pay offer, a formal strike ballot will now take place.

The demand by the EIS for a 10% wage increase, which initially seemed modest, is now looking like a pay cut.

The latest government inflation figures from the ONS show that in the last year, retail prices (RPI) have risen by 12.3% and consumer prices (CPI) have risen by 10.1%.

However, teachers, like the rest of the working class, don’t live in a world of average inflation. Families are being impoverished by the rise in gas prices (95.7%), electricity (54%), petrol and diesel (114%) and basic food stuffs (over 20%). And prices are still rising.

Once again, the employer COSLA has deliberately dragged out the pay negotiations, as a way of preventing any momentum or pressure being built up.

COSLA and the Scottish government need to stop attacking workers and play their part to invest more in education and in teachers.

Teaching is a majority female profession. Pay decline is impacting on teachers relative to other graduate professions and contributing to the overall gender pay gap. Teachers want to see pay justice for the profession.

Schools need to provide quality education, to help alleviate the effects of poverty and give every young person a good and equal chance to thrive.

Teachers’ pay needs to add up, if it is to help boost teacher numbers.

While we, and other frontline workers, did essential work throughout the pandemic the rich and the privileged were making huge profits at our expense. 

Without doubt, Britain’s capitalist class is united on its need to make the working class pay for this crisis. 

The wave of strikes that have been steadily building over the last few months is accelerating. 

This has raised the necessity of national coordinated strike action across all sectors against the cost-of-living squeeze and the corrupt and crisis-ridden Tory government. 

Teachers, along with other workers, increasingly have no choice but to fight.