Workload/Class Contact Time - Dispute and Ballot

On workload, the frustration and anger of NASUWT members was palpable in our survey in June/July on the failure of the Scottish Government and COSLA to progress the promised reduction in class contact time from 22.5 hours per week to 21 hours. A clear majority of our members were in favour of taking some form of industrial action, should there be no significant progress on delivering this promise.

Despite an agreement earlier this year to set up a series of meetings of a Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) Sub-group on Reduced Class Contact Time, with NASUWT representation, there was no significant progress on this matter. As a result, NASUWT lodged a formal trade dispute with the Scottish Government and local authority employers on 28 October and advised that ‘in the event that immediate steps are not taken to ensure this manifesto pledge is fulfilled… NASUWT will have no alternative other than to ballot our members for industrial action.’

Regrettably, since then, there has been no sense of urgency on the part of the Scottish Government or COSLA to move things forward and NASUWT has now given the Scottish Government and local authority employers formal notification that we will be balloting members for industrial action. This ballot will open on Wednesday 19 November.

Members will be contacted separately about ballot-related events and progress.

Pay

A revised pay offer, described as ‘full and final’, was tabled to teaching unions by local authorities’ employer body COSLA on 5 November 2025. It comprised a pay increase on all SNCT salary points of:

  • 4% from 1 August 2025;

  • a further 0.25% from 1 April 2026;

  • a further 3.25% from 1 August 2026 (to 31 July 2027).

There was also a commitment to negotiate a reopener clause with the teacher trade unions for Year 2 of the pay deal (1 August 2026 to 31 July 2027), which is particularly welcome, given stubbornly high inflation in recent years and the inaccuracy of many forecasts about inflation levels dropping.

The offer was considered and approved by the NASUWT Salaries Committee on 7 November 2025 and, at a meeting of the SNCT Teachers’ Panel on 11 November 2025, all teacher trade unions agreed to accept the offer.

It is hoped that all local authorities will swiftly process the new pay deal, including the backdated element to 1 August 2025.

NASUWT will continue to campaign in future years for real-terms pay restoration for teachers, something which Cabinet Secretary, Jenny Gilruth, has described as ‘a legitimate aim’.

 


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