Scottish Secondary Teachers (SSTA) Strike Calendar
Strike Type: Education
Latest Scottish Secondary Teachers Industrial Action Updates (4)
A committee reviewed the Scottish Government's proposal for teachers and determined that the planned ballot for industrial action must continue.
The organization welcomes the government's commitment to reducing class contact time (RCCT) but emphasizes that this remains the primary priority and must be honored fully without delay.
RCCT is considered the critical element for providing teachers with necessary professional time for planning, assessment, and addressing learners' needs.
Proposals suggesting local pilots or changes before a national agreement are seen as premature and risky due to the need for clear, consistent arrangements across Scotland.
Any reorganization of existing time or changes to the school week cannot substitute for the fundamental requirement of increased system capacity to create RCCT through investment and staffing.
Discussions around redefining non-contact time must ensure that professional time remains under teacher discretion and directly supports core duties, rather than becoming a tool for increased direction.
The delivery of RCCT is considered a standalone commitment and should not be conditional upon or traded against other elements like pay or general workload discussions.
Immediate focus must now be placed on implementing RCCT to provide certainty for the profession and enable teachers to meet the needs of young people.
The pay proposal involves a 7% rise backdated to last April, a further 5% this April and another 2% in January.
The SSTA members returned a 85.3% in favour of accepting with 14.7% rejecting the latest offer. The formal ballot had a turnout of 79.9%.
“However, the SSTA has a major concern over the unnecessary pay cap; this seems to be an act of political dogma rather than a rational proposal. The inclusion of this is a considerable barrier in the professional career structure for secondary school teachers. The career ladder has been stifled for many years: the number of posts of responsibility has been cut severely. Posts such as these are needed in secondary schools as they are essential for good management systems. The reduction in the number of posts with responsibility attached to them has put good order in schools at risk; this is a fundamental requirement for a successful school. It is no surprise that teachers are walking away and this salary cap is just a ‘slap in the face’ to teachers in senior positions in schools”
The Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA) is a teaching union in Scotland that is negotiating a new pay offer from the Scottish government with the help of its members. The pay offer was rejected by the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, which includes the Scottish government, local authority body Cosla and other teaching unions. The SSTA said it would reinstate industrial action should an improved pay offer not be forthcoming. The question now is how the unions will respond to a new offer once one is made.
Secondary teachers in Scotland have announced plans for a further strike on 11 January. The action will coincide with a strike by the EIS union in secondary schools. The two unions are calling for a 10% pay increase, which the Scottish government has rejected as “unaffordable”. Last month, an EIS strike resulted in the closure of all but a few primary and secondary schools in Scotland. Last week, SSTA members walked out, while EIS members struck on 24 November. Unions warned that further strike dates may be announced.
Scottish Secondary Teachers Strike Calendar
4 Strike Dates 0 Planned