Teachers balloted for strike action over ‘excessive' workloads
Scotland's largest teaching union, the EIS, is launching a consultative ballot for industrial action during its annual general meeting on Friday.
The ballot comes in the wake of a survey by the union which revealed more than two-fifths of teachers (44%) work an additional seven unpaid hours in a typical week.
The research also found 11.5% of teachers work an extra 15 hours or more per week – the equivalent of two days.
EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said the ballot will highlight the 'pressing need' to deliver on a commitment to cut the time teachers spend in the classroom.
The SNP 2021 manifesto pledged to reduce this by 1.5 hours a week – with Ms Bradley insisting action is needed to 'reduce excessive teacher workload'.
Speaking ahead of the AGM, which is taking place in Aviemore, the she said: 'This ballot is an opportunity for our members to send a clear message to their employers and the Scottish Government of the need to honour the commitments to tackle excessive teacher workload by reducing weekly class contact time.'
Accusing the Scottish Government and local authority leaders in Cosla of failing to deliver the promised reduction in classroom time, she called on union members to vote in favour of industrial action – including strikes.
Ms Bradley said: 'Only sending a strong and clear message will compel the Scottish Government and Cosla to finally take action to tackle teacher workload.'
She told how 'teachers have waited more than four years' for the time they spend in classes to be reduced, saying in the meantime workload pressures 'continue to soar'.
Ms Bradley added: 'This is having a detrimental impact on the health and wellbeing of teachers, with significant consequences for the learning experience of pupils in our schools.'
The recent EIS survey revealed the 'scale of the workload demands that are being placed on teachers', she said, adding this showed 'almost half' of those in the profession are working the equivalent of an extra day per week to keep on top of their workload.
On the commitment to reduce class contact time by 1.5 hours per week, she said the Scottish Government and Cosla have 'failed even to produce any firm proposals on how to take this forward'.
The EIS ballot comes as a second union, the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA), is also preparing to hold a consultative survey on strike action on the issue.
SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson said: 'The reduction of 90 minutes class contact time was promised by the Scottish Government four years ago and Cosla has baulked at every turn to progress the promise.
'The reduction of class contact time is a small step in addressing teacher workload and the employers have failed to acknowledge the importance of the 90 minutes to teachers.
'SSTA members have reached the end of their patience and now have no option but to resort to taking strike action to force the employers to implement a real benefit for hard pressed secondary school teachers.
'To get to this point shows a lack of respect and understanding by the employers of the challenges teachers are facing to deliver education.'
The SSTA said its survey will start in the week of June 16 and run until the end of August.
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'The Scottish Government will continue to work with unions and Cosla to agree our approach to delivering a reduction in class contact time, which ultimately requires agreement from the whole Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers.
'This is also why we are providing local authorities with an additional £186.5 million to restore teacher numbers, alongside an additional £29 million to support the recruitment and retention of the ASN workforce.
'This funding has been provided on the clear agreement that meaningful progress is made on reducing teacher class contact time.'
A Cosla spokesperson said: 'We are aware of the increased pressures across the whole local government workforce and the teaching profession is rightly greatly valued. As we continue to engage with teaching unions on the issue of workload, we have committed, along with Scottish Government, to exploring ways of reducing class contact time.
'The provision of high-quality learning experiences for children and young people depends on the education workforce being adequately supported, resourced, skilled and confident to respond to the learners in front of them. Cosla works closely with trade unions, Scottish Government, and partners, to enable the delivery of this.
'Reducing teachers' class contact time by 1.5 hours a week – equal to almost two weeks per year – will require additional resource, significant advance planning and actions to tackle existing problems such as recruitment and retention in rural areas and shortages of teachers of certain subject areas. There has to be a recognition that achieving the reduction in class contact time by maintaining teacher numbers as pupil numbers gradually decline is a challenge and will take time.
'In addition, councils will have to consider how to maintain other statutory services as the proportion of the salary bill required for teachers increases.'
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