Scottish teachers' union EIS expected to announce results of pay ballot

Members of Scotland’s largest teachers’ union are expected to announce if they will accept a new pay offer, following long-running school strikes.

A ballot by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) – the largest teaching union in Scotland – is due to conclude at 10am on Friday.

The EIS earlier recommended that members accept the new deal, which includes a 7% backdated pay rise from last April followed by a 5% rise this April and another 2% increase in January, 2024.

Teachers were previously set to hold 20 days of strike action in March and April, however this was called off following the proposal last week.

The new pay deal tabled by Scottish local council body COSLA last week covers a 28-month period from April 1, 2022, to July 31, 2024, and effects all teachers earning up to £80,000.

Members of the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA) voted overwhelmingly to accept on Thursday, and brought the union’s pay dispute and further industrial action to an end.

The SSTA said 85.3% of members returned their ballots in favour of accepting with 14.7% rejecting the latest offer.

Last week, Andrea Bradley, the union’s general secretary, said: “The view of our negotiators is that this deal represents the best that can be achieved in the current political and financial climate without a much more prolonged campaign of industrial action.

“It is through the determination and collective action of teachers and associated professionals across Scotland, led by EIS members, that we have improved this pay offer from an initial 2% for the current year to 7% for the current financial year, with additional increases of 5% and then 2% within the following financial year.

“This will result in the majority of teachers seeing a 12.3% increase on their current rate of pay by April of this year and by 14% by January 2024.”

Scotland’s education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “We have worked closely with the unions to compromise and have arrived at a deal which is fair, affordable, and sustainable for everyone involved.

The Scottish Government is supporting this deal with over £320m of funding this year and next.

“This is the best and final offer possible and recognises the invaluable contribution teachers make to the lives of our children and young people.”