Scottish teacher pay offer is 'very fair' – education minister

The Scottish government says its pay offer for teachers is “very fair”, as talks take place with unions in a bid to prevent further strikes.

Higher and further education minister Jamie Hepburn said Scottish teachers would be the “best paid in the UK”.

Unions rejected a 5% increase, arguing for 10%. The offer includes rises of up to 6.85% for the lowest paid staff.

Members of the EIS, NASUWT and SSTA trade unions are due to strike on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

Staff in primary schools will walk out on Tuesday followed by secondary school teachers on Wednesday.

Schools across Scotland are expected to shut during the industrial action.

Mr Hepburn told BBC Radio’s Good Morning Scotland: “If you actually look at what we have offered, it is a 6.85% uplift for the lowest paid teachers, 5% for most and £3,000 for those earning £60,000 or more.

“That would represent a 21.8% cumulative pay increase for most teachers since 2018.”

He added: “This is a fair and fundamentally an affordable offer and it would ensure that teachers in Scotland remain by some measure the best paid teaching staff in the UK.

“We want to make sure we have that edge for teachers in Scotland and the offer we have got on the table would ensure that.”

Next week’s industrial action follows the biggest Scottish teachers strike in decades in November.

Teaching unions in England and Wales are also balloting members over pay.

Most state school teachers in England and Wales had a 5% rise this year, and many teachers in Northern Ireland have been offered 3.2% over the past two years.

Unions argue that with inflation at 10.7%, these increases amount to a real-terms pay cut.

Scotland’s biggest teaching union, the EIS, dismissed the offer as “insulting”.

The SSTA said the Scottish government must “act and negotiate sensibly” if it values teachers.

NASUWT said the dispute would only end when a “substantially improved pay offer” was on the table.

Teachers’ unions are not expecting a new pay offer today. The question is whether today’s talks may lead to progress.

For instance, might they establish a pathway to a resolution? Or even lead to strikes being suspended as a gesture of goodwill?

The unions have a number of concerns about the current pay offer.

Firstly, it simply fails to keep pace with inflation.

Secondly, the offer is differentiated – with higher percentage rises for those on the lowest salaries.

Thirdly, those on more than £60,000 – essentially some heads and deputes – will receive a flat pay rise of £3,000. The unions do not want the gap between those in senior posts and classroom teachers to be eroded – in part to ensure these posts can be filled.

If there is no progress at today’s talks, next week’s strikes would seem inevitable.

For some students, it will mean losing a third day to strike action in less than two months.