The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the country's
largest teaching union, has today (Tuesday) decided to recommend
acceptance of a new, improved pay offer of 4.27% to Scotland's
teachers. The new offer, received yesterday from local authority
employers, is for a one-year deal covering the period August 2024
– July 2025 (inclusive). The EIS, which represents 80% of
Scotland's teachers, has indicated to its members that a
consultative ballot will open tomorrow with a recommendation to
accept. The EIS will also communicate its position on the offer
at a meeting of the Teachers' Panel of the Scottish Negotiating
Committee for Teachers (SNCT) tomorrow.
Commenting, EIS Salaries Convener Des Morris said, “A special
meeting of the EIS Salaries Committee was held this morning,
following receipt of the improved offer yesterday. Following
discussion, the members of the Salaries Committee agreed
unanimously to recommend acceptance of this offer to members.
Accordingly, the EIS will now take this position into discussions
with our sister trade unions at the SNCT Teachers' Panel on
Wednesday. We will also open a consultative ballot of our members
tomorrow, with a recommendation that they should vote to accept
the improved 4.27% pay offer from employers.”
EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “The collective view
of the Salaries Committee is that the current offer proposes a
pay increase for teachers that is above both CPI and RPI rates of
inflation and, crucially, marks a first step in the restoration
of teachers' pay to the equivalent of pre-austerity levels. The
offer is also undifferentiated, offering a 4.27% pay increase for
teachers at all grades and at all scale points. It is for all of
these reasons that the EIS has agreed to recommend acceptance of
the offer.”
Ms Bradley added, “EIS members should look out in their email
inboxes on Wednesday for their digital ballot papers arriving.
The EIS Salaries Committee is very clear that, while their view
is that this is the best offer that can be achieved through
negotiation and that members should vote to accept, it is
ultimately for Scotland's teachers to decide. I would urge every
EIS member eligible to vote to use their vote in this ballot, and
to make their views heard before the ballot closes next week.”
