Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union in Scotland will be taking two further days of strike action on 28th February and 1 March in its ongoing dispute with the Scottish Government and employers over teachers’ pay.

These further dates are a result of the continuing failure of ministers and COSLA to come forward with an improved pay offer.
 
The NASUWT is calling for a fully funded 12% pay award for 2022/23. The current pay offer of 5% for most teachers amounts to a further real-terms pay cut, following over a decade of pay freezes and below-inflation pay awards which have left teachers in Scotland almost £50,000 worse off as a result of their pay failing to keep pace with inflation.

Alongside the strike action NASUWT members will continue to undertake ongoing action short of strike action. Members are refusing to cover for absent colleagues and are attending no more than one meeting per week outside pupil sessions.

Members will continue to teach, plan lessons, and assess pupils’ work.
 
Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said:

“There can be no doubt that it is the resolve of members to solidly support our action which has brought ministers and employers back to the table over recent weeks to discuss pay.

“We have continued and will continue to talk with ministers and employers in a bid to resolve this dispute, but the reality is that for all of the discussions over recent weeks an improved offer has yet to be made.

“If ministers hope that teachers will give up the fight for a better deal on their pay they should think again.

“Teachers know they are worth more than yet another real-terms pay cut and it is beyond time that ministers and COSLA recognised that too.”
 
Mike Corbett, NASUWT National Official Scotland, said:

“We have been clear to Scottish Government and COSLA that with CPI inflation still at 10.5% - more than double the 5% pay award which most of Scotland’s teachers were offered - a substantially improved pay offer which is fully funded by the Scottish Government must be tabled without delay.

“There is a window of opportunity to avert further strike action, but the ball is very much in the court of ministers and employers.”