Created on: 17 Sep 2025
As members will be aware from previous updates, the three sides of the SNCT have agreed to seek to progress negotiations on the reduction of class contact time to 21 hours through a specific SNCT RCCT working group.
The first of two crucial meetings of the working group will take place tomorrow, Thursday 18th September 2025, with a further meeting scheduled for 30th September 2025.
With EIS members indicating strong support for both strike action and action short of strike in the recent SNCT Workload Consultative Ballot, it is imperative that substantive and swift progress is made on reducing class contact time in the two upcoming SNCT working group meetings. If such progress cannot be made, it is likely that the EIS Salaries Committee will convene to consider moving to a statutory ballot for industrial action. For the time being, though, we expect the Scottish Government and COSLA to turn words into action to make meaningful progress on addressing workload.
Ensuring that the 1.5 hours resulting from a reduction in weekly class contact time to 21 hours is afforded fully to teachers remains a red line for the teachers’ side in negotiations. Please follow this link to hear from two EIS members on what an extra 1.5 hours per week for the planning of learning, teaching and assessment would mean to them.
With a statutory ballot for industrial action still not off the table, it is essential that EIS members ensure that their postal details are up to date on the EIS database. Please check your membership details following this link.
The next two weeks of negotiation are crucial as part of the EIS Stand Up for Quality Education campaign goal of addressing workload. COSLA and the Scottish Government must come to the negotiating table ready and willing to make meaningful progress and to avoid a further escalation of the SNCT dispute on reducing class contact time as a means of reducing workload.