The Salaries Committee of the NASUWT, the fastest growing teachers’ union in Scotland, has today rejected the 2015-17 pay and conditions offer for teachers from local authority employers.
The NASUWT has rejected the offer as inadequate and unacceptable to address the shortfall in teachers’ pay and working conditions since 2011.
Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:
“On canvassing members’ opinion on the offer there was overwhelming support for a rejection.
“The offer does not make any progress towards restoring teachers’ pay to pre-2011 levels, despite the fact that teachers are thousands of pounds worse off as a result of the year-on-year real-terms cuts to their salaries.
“The offer fails to address the full restoration of supply teachers’ pay and conditions, with the Employer instead opting for a delaying tactic rather than recognising that the main solution to improving availability of supply cover is to fully restore supply teachers’ pay and conditions immediately.
“Excessive workload remains the chief concern of members and schools and employers should already be putting in place effective strategies to tackle this issue as a result of recommendations agreed by the Scottish Government’s Tackling Bureaucracy Working Group. Strategies to address and manage teacher workload should not, therefore, be dependent on accepting pay offers which will worsen teachers’ pay and conditions of service.
“The offer will also not address the deeply worrying trend of teacher shortages, to which pay and workload are contributing factors.
“The NASUWT has been undertaking a continuing campaign of industrial action since 2011 over pay and conditions of service, including workload and job loss, in furtherance of its national trade dispute with the Scottish Government. This action will continue in order to seek to protect teachers against attacks on their conditions of service.”
Jane Peckham, NASUWT National Official Scotland, said:
“NASUWT members are clear that they do not accept this pay offer.
“There is clear anger and frustration at the refusal by Employers and the Scottish Government to act to reverse the attacks on their pay and conditions which are driving up stress levels and contributing to a record low in teacher morale.”
