Members of teachers’ trade union the Education Institute of Scotland (EIS) have voted to accept a three-year pay deal, which will increase their pay by 13.5%.
The pay deal, proposed by the Scottish government, will provide a backdated 3% pay increase effective from April 2018, a 7% pay rise in April 2019 and a final 3% pay increase from April 2020. This will equate to a compounded total increase of 13.5% over the three-year agreement.
The deal includes additional commitments aimed at tackling workloads, supporting professional development and enhancing the teacher leadership programme.
Members of the EIS have been voting on the pay offer for the past three weeks. When the ballot closed yesterday (Wednesday 27 March 2019) at noon, 98% of members had voted in favour of the pay deal, based on a turnout of 76%.
The deal is the result of a year-long campaign, called 'Value Education, Value Teachers'. Teachers who are members of the EIS had rejected two previous pay offers and, in October 2018, more than 30,000 members and supporters conducted a march in Glasgow in recognition of the campaign.
The EIS was prepared to undertake strike action, but this was cancelled in light of the new pay offer.
Larry Flanagan, general secretary at the EIS, said: “The EIS launched the Value Education, Value Teachers campaign in January last year, with the aim of securing a fair pay settlement for Scotland’s teachers.
“The campaign has been a significant success and has now secured an improved proposal that will increase teachers’ pay by at least 10% by this April, compared to current salary scales. Our members have given their overwhelming backing to this proposal, so the EIS will now move to formally conclude an agreement.
“This proposal, once formalised through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers [(SNCT)], will ensure a period of welcome stability for Scottish education. The enhanced salaries on offer, together with the additional commitments contained in the proposal, will help to attract new teachers and to keep experienced teachers in our schools.
“All that remains is for [the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities], as the employers, to formally adopt the proposal at its Leaders’ Meeting on Friday [29 March 2019] and to then make an official offer through SNCT. We look forward to concluding [the] agreement thereafter.”
