School strikes in six areas may be avoided after deal reached

Strikes at schools in six council areas across Scotland over teacher workloads could be avoided after a deal was struck between a union and the Scottish government.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said a draft agreement to end the dispute had been reached but it now needs to be formally ratified by local council body Cosla.

The EIS issued a formal 10-day notice to employers for industrial action last week over a failure to provide teachers with an additional 90 minutes non-contact time.

Cosla leaders are scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss the agreement and, if approved, it would halt the planned strike action.

Walkouts were proposed across two days at schools in Glasgow, East Renfrewshire, Dundee, Fife, Perth and Kinross and Moray.

EIS members previously voted overwhelmingly in favour of the action, with 85% of those who took part in the ballot backing the move.

The union wants councils and the Scottish government to do more to cut the maximum time each teacher can spend in front of a class by 90 minutes, as pledged in the SNP's 2021 Holyrood election manifesto.

Last year, the Scottish government announced proposals for teachers to be given a "flexible" four-day teaching week.

EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said: "We are optimistic that a negotiated outcome to this dispute, which was always the desired aim of the EIS, is now within reach.

"In the meantime, while we await the decision of Cosla leadership, all current plans for the commencement of industrial action will remain in place, and the EIS remains prepared to move ahead with this action of last resort, if forced to do so."

She added a further update would be issued on Friday.

The Scottish government's budget, which passed last month, included a 2% increase in local authority funding - which the EIS welcomed in the hope it would deliver the class contact time proposals.

A spokesperson for Cosla - the umbrella body which represents the 32 local authorities - said they have concerns about the "financial and practical implications" of reduced class contact time.

The spokesperson said: "Industrial action is in nobody's interests, and we urge unions to work with Cosla and Scottish government to find a solution all parties can agree rather that threaten to disrupt education at this crucial time of year.

"We recognise that supporting teachers is essential. However, this needs to be facilitated in a way that ensures a positive impact on outcomes for children and young people."

The dispute over teacher workload has lasted for more than a year.

Yet it took only days to reach a draft agreement after EIS members voted to strike.

The agreement needs to be ratified by council body Cosla before strikes scheduled for next week are called off.

Details of the draft agreement are still to be made public.

But the EIS wanted progress towards cutting class contact time to reduce the amount of work, such as marking and preparation, which it says many teachers are doing in the evening or at the weekend - effectively working for free.

Crucially, the union wants more teachers to be employed.

It doesn't want cuts in the time individual teachers spend in class to mean cuts in learning hours for students.

Realistically, the problem will take some time to fix. The important thing for the union is to have a solid, achievable plan.

Everything now hangs on Cosla's meeting on Friday.

But the EIS will feel that pursuing the threat of a strike has been effective.

East Renfrewshire were set to be the first impacted with schools set to close and nurseries on Tuesday 17 March and Monday 23 March. Family centres won't be affected.

Fife council confirmed that members have been invited to strike on the same days and that parents will be contacted on Thursday to confirm if schools will close.

Glasgow City Council confirmed all of its primary, secondary and ASL schools were to close on Wednesday 18 and Tuesday 24 March.

Schools in Dundee could also be impacted on these days.

Meanwhile, in Moray, schools were set to close on Thursday 19 March and possibly Wednesday 25 March. Perth and Kinross council has warned its schools may also be impacted on these days.

Although six council areas are impacted to begin with, all of Scotland's 32 local authorities received official notification of intention to strike last Friday.

This means more disruption could follow if the deal is not formally accepted.