Key reasons for recommending acceptance

Created on: 14 Mar 2022 | Last modified: 15 Mar 2022


Further to the ebulletin issued last week indicating the Salaries Committee had voted 15 to 1 in favour of recommending acceptance of the latest and final offer from COSLA, the matter has now been discussed further at EIS Council and by a vote of 72 to 15 the Salaries minute was upheld and an amendment to move to ballot for industrial action was defeated.

Members are now asked to vote on the two options, with a strong recommendation to accept.

The key reasons for recommending acceptance are set out below:

  1. As anticipated, the scale of the improvement is relatively limited, but it does move COSLA’s original offer of 1.22% to a consolidated 2.23% on all scale points going forward (except those earning over £80k) and using the top of the scale as an example, the retention of the unconsolidated element means effectively backpay being the cash equivalent of the consolidated rise.

  2. In the view of the negotiators this offer represents the best deal which can be achieved without significant industrial action being deployed to create further leverage.

  3. If the pay claim for 2021/22 is not settled at this point it would mean 18-20 months without a pay increase for members due to local government elections and the break that this would bring to ongoing negotiations and timescales for progressing industrial action.

  4. It should be noted that the revised offer represents the best local government offer for 2021/22. This is a significant improvement on COSLA’s opening offer (1% for the majority of members) and one brought about by EIS members resilience.

  5. It should be noted also that this is the April 2021 settlement when inflation was lower - RPI 1.8% CPI 0.6% at the time of our claim, with CPI at 1.5% in April 2021.

  6. In recommending acceptance both Salaries Committee and Council are clear on the need to switch the focus of pay negotiation and campaigning onto the 2022 claim which has been designed to address the “cost-of-living” crisis, whilst also continuing the restorative narrative of the Value Education Value Teachers.

In recommending acceptance of this offer, the Salaries Committee and Council believe that this gives us the best position to launch our campaign for our 10% pay claim for this coming year.