Teachers in Scotland will strike on a further 16 days in a dispute over pay, a union has confirmed.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said the walkouts - split across every council in the country - would take place in January and February.

Teachers in two local authorities will strike on each of the 16 days.

Aberdeen will be affected on Wednesday, February 1, and Aberdeenshire on Monday, January 30.

The union's general secretary, Andrea Bradley, said members had been "forced to escalate" measures.

A strike last Thursday closed nearly every primary and secondary school in the country, and many council nurseries.

'Insulting' pay offer

A revised pay offer put to unions last week was rejected as "insulting".

But Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said their demand for a 10% pay rise was "unaffordable".

A new pay offer from employer Cosla - which would see rises of up to 6.85% for the lowest paid - was fair, Ms Somerville said.

She added: "Strikes are in no-one's interest and we continue to engage with the unions to find a resolution.

"I recognise the strength of feeling within the unions, but they also need to recognise that the Scottish Government budget is fixed and is already committed. Any new money for teacher pay would have to come from elsewhere in education."

One Scottish parent told the BBC he was concerned about his son who is about to take exams.

Difficult year

He said: "I think it's a difficult year. There's a lot of strikes about and you've got to give some sympathy for them, but it's probably not the best time with them coming up to the prelims."

The EIS had already announced further action on January 10 and 11, with the latest dates taking place between January 16 and February 6.

Meanwhile, the Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association and the NASUWT plan to strike on December 7 and 8.

Ms Bradley said: "We have been forced into the escalation of this action by the lack of willingness to negotiate properly and to pay teachers properly, by a government that says it wished to be judged on its record on education.

"The judgement of Scotland's teachers on the matter of pay is clear, with the first programme of national strike action that we have engaged in for four decades.

"It is now for the Scottish Government and Cosla to resolve this dispute, and prevent further strike action, by coming back to the negotiating table with a substantially-improved pay offer for all of Scotland's teaching professionals."

More like this…

View all