The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), Scotland's largest teaching union, has secured a decisive mandate for industrial action. According to multiple reports, 85% of members who took part in the ballot backed strike action, with a turnout of 60%. This result provides the union with significant leverage in its ongoing dispute over teacher workload. Andrea Bradley, the EIS general secretary, stated that the ballot result gave the union a clear mandate for industrial action over excessive workload. She added that the union's executive committee would meet on Thursday to discuss next steps.
The union has issued a formal 10-day notice of its strike plan, meaning teachers could go on strike as early as March 16. Under UK law, unions are required to give 10 days' notice of industrial action. Bradley explained that giving notice of a strike allows the union to keep options open and shows commitment to resolving the matter. This move escalates the dispute and sets a clear timeline for potential disruption.
It is disappointing that the EIS still insists on progressing strike action despite funding and commitment to progress.
The timing of any strike action is particularly sensitive, as it could impact schools when senior secondary school students sit exams in April and May, and during the upcoming Holyrood election campaign. Willie Rennie, the Liberal Democrat education spokesperson MSP, commented that school strikes during the election campaign demonstrate SNP dysfunction. This political dimension adds pressure on the Scottish Government and local authorities to reach a settlement.
This ballot marks the second attempt by the EIS to secure a legally binding mandate for strikes. In a previous ballot, 86% of voters supported strike action, but with a 46% turnout, it fell short of the legal threshold required under UK trade union laws. The current result, with its higher turnout, clears that legal hurdle and strengthens the union's position. The union has emphasized that teachers have waited years for progress on workload reduction.
The ballot result shows members won't accept that management debts be paid from staff pay.
The core of the dispute centers on unfulfilled manifesto promises. According to multiple reports, these promises included recruiting 3,500 additional teachers, tackling teacher unemployment and zero-hours contracts, and reducing teachers' maximum class contact time to 21 hours per week. The union specifically wants councils and the Scottish Government to cut maximum class time by 90 minutes, as pledged in the SNP's 2021 manifesto. Bradley stated that teachers have been waiting for five years for manifesto promises on tackling teacher workload to be fulfilled. She further noted that they are now in the fifth year since the pledge was made to reduce teachers’ maximum class contact time by 1.5 hours per week, to 21 hours.
In a recent development, strike action planned for schools in six Scottish council areas next week has been called off after a deal on teacher workload was agreed. The deal was reached between unions and the Scottish Government and approved by Cosla, the convention of Scottish local authorities. Bradley said that the EIS is extremely pleased with the negotiated outcome, which will positively impact teacher workload and create more jobs. However, the specific terms of this deal have not been publicly disclosed.
Industrial action is in nobody's interests and urged unions to work with Cosla and Scottish Government.
The details of the agreement that averted strikes in those six areas remain unclear, including how it will be implemented and whether it sets a precedent for a national settlement. The exact number of teachers and schools that would be affected by potential EIS strikes across Scotland is also not confirmed. Furthermore, the precise timeline for implementing the promised reduction in class contact time to 21 hours per week is unknown, with Cosla expressing concerns about the financial and practical implications of such a change.
The Scottish Government announced proposals last week aimed at helping to alleviate the workload pressures faced by teachers. A Scottish Government spokesperson said that they remain committed to working with the teacher unions, and Cosla, through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), to agree their approach to delivering a reduction in class contact time for teachers. The spokesperson added that they are clear that reducing class contact time will help address critical concerns around teacher workload. However, the union is seeking concrete action. Bradley asserted that the EIS needs surety in writing from the Scottish Government and Cosla before removing the prospect of industrial action.
Cosla remains committed to constructive engagement on reducing class contact time but has concerns about financial and practical implications.
The scale and timeline of potential strikes across Scotland beyond the six council areas are yet to be determined, pending further negotiations. Ricky Bell, Cosla's resources spokesperson, responded that it is disappointing that the EIS still insists on progressing strike action despite funding and commitment to progress. He added that industrial action is in nobody's interests and urged unions to work with Cosla and Scottish Government. Bell also noted that Cosla remains committed to constructive engagement on reducing class contact time but has concerns about financial and practical implications.
Separately, members of the NUJ and BECTU unions at broadcaster STV have voted overwhelmingly for strike action over a planned pay freeze. Multiple reports indicate 84% of NUJ members who voted backed a strike, with a 73.5% turnout, while 57% of BECTU members voted, with 73% supporting strike action. Nick McGowan-Lowe, the NUJ Scottish organiser, said that the ballot result shows members won't accept that management debts be paid from staff pay. Paul McManus, BECTU negotiations officer, stated that staff are deeply frustrated and angry and urged the company to meet with the union. An STV spokesperson said that the company recognises the pay freeze is challenging but had to take measures due to market conditions. It is not yet known if this dispute will lead to actual strike action, or when that might occur.
In England, the National Education Union (NEU) has also shown strong support for industrial action in an indicative ballot. According to multiple reports, 90.5% of NEU members who voted said they would be prepared to take action over school funding, with a 48.6% turnout among eligible teacher members. Furthermore, 96% of NEU teachers who responded rejected the Department for Education's pay rise proposal of 6.5% over three years. Daniel Kebede, NEU general secretary, said that members are willing to take whatever action is necessary to save education.
Additional details from the EIS ballot, based on research, indicate that 92% of participants voted in favor of action short of a strike, and 83% backed strike action. The online consultative ballot opened in June at the EIS annual general meeting and closed this week. Bradley emphasized the broader message, stating that teachers across Scotland have sent a very clear message to their employers and the Scottish Government that they must now deliver on the promise to tackle excessive teacher workload. She warned that should very quick progress not be made on delivery of the class contact time commitment, the EIS will move swiftly to a statutory ballot for industrial action.