When is the teacher strike in Scotland and could they strike elsewhere in the UK?
Strikes are happening in January.
Ongoing strikes continue to dominate the headlines here in the UK.
And amid UK walkouts affecting everything from trains and roads to ambulance services, Scottish teachers with a number of unions are among those taking industrial action.
If you live in Scotland – or are concerned whether school strikes are set to hit England, Wales or Northern Ireland – then you might be wondering what exactly is going on and when.
Here’s an overview of the situation.
When is the teacher strike in Scotland?
Teachers in Scotland are on strike today (Tuesday, January 10) and Wednesday, January 11.
Strikes are being held by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) union, as well as the NASUWT union, on both dates.
On Tuesday, staff in primary schools and settings will hit the picket line, while the Wednesday walkouts will be from staff in secondary schools and secondary settings.
Joining the picket line on January 11 are teachers from the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA).
From then, the EIS will carry out 16 days of action in local areas, on dates from January 16 to February 6.
Why are teachers in Scotland striking?
Teachers are taking industrial action in a continuing pay dispute.
Previous walkouts were held in late November 2022 – which led to the closure of every state school in mainland Scotland, said the EIS.
Unions announced further strike dates were announced after a pay offer from the government and Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) couldn’t be agreed.
According to NASUWT’s strike announcement, it is calling for a ‘fully funded 12% pay award for 2022/23’.
It says the current pay offer ‘amounts to a further real-terms pay cut, following a decade of pay freezes and below-inflation pay awards’.
General secretary Dr Patrick Roach said of the walkouts: ‘Our members are not prepared to stand by while their pay dwindles and their living costs rise.
‘The government and employers will need to bring forward a substantially improved pay offer if they want to see an end to this dispute.’
After a discussion with teacher unions on January 6, COSLA spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann said in a statement: ‘COSLA leaders are clear that given the financial pressures being faced it remains the case that there is no additional funding available.
‘I do however, look forward to maintaining constructive and proactive dialogue, which considers all options available, with all parties so that we limit any further disruption for pupils, parents and carers, which we all agree is in no one’s best interests.’
Could teachers strike elsewhere in the UK?
There aren’t any other UK teacher strike dates in place at the time of writing.
However, teachers in Northern Ireland who are members of several different unions have been taking action short of strike since October 2022, reports Irish News.
In late 2022, there were a number of higher education strikes across colleges and universities in the UK, too.
As for more industrial action in future, a number of ballots are set to close in the coming days.
NASUWT has conducted a vote of members working for schools and sixth form colleges in England and Wales – with the ballot ending on January 9.
Similarly, the NAHT union for headteachers and school leaders has consulted its members in England and Wales – with this ballot ending on January 13.
The National Education Union (NEU) is also balloting around 300,000 teacher and support staff members in England and Wales regarding whether to take strike action – with the ballot closing on January 13, with the results expected by January 16.
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