Organisation Motions

Created on: 29 May 2023 | Last modified: 13 Jul 2023


Motions

Resolutions

54. Edinburgh Local Association

"That this AGM instructs Council to develop a campaign of industrial action to address the workload crisis facing teachers. This campaign to draw on lessons learned in the recent Pay Attention campaign, and to include, though not be limited to, actions to achieve commitments by SNCT to:

  1. begin the rollout of the implement of the reduction of class contact time to 21 hours as soon as is practicable;
  2. wholly devote the proposed increase in non-contact time to personal preparation and correction time;
  3. begin planning for a phased reduction in class sizes, with the ultimate aim of all classes being limited to a maximum of 20 pupils."

 Carried

55. North Lanarkshire Local Association

"This AGM call upon Council to campaign for legislation to reduce class sizes in primary and secondary establishments."

 Carried

56. Glasgow Local Association

"This AGM believes the Strikes (Minimum Service Level) Bill 2023 is a violation of the right to strike and agrees to campaign for its repeal if enacted."

 Carried

57. Council

"That this AGM instructs Council to campaign for greater transparency in the Scottish Government and Local Authorities' Education budgets and reporting, in order to facilitate improved accountability.

Furthermore, AGM instructs Council to enhance the EIS's capacity for analysis of Education spending by the Scottish Government and Local Authorities, by commissioning external expertise as necessary."

 Carried

58. Council

"That this AGM instruct Council to investigate and report on the findings of the STUC's recently published independent research: 'Options for increasing taxes in Scotland to fund investment in public services' and any other relevant research on raising public revenues in Scotland for public investment.

The report should include recommended policy positions to consider for adoption by the EIS."

Amendment Edinburgh Local Association

Add at the end: 'That AGM further instruct Council to seek similar investigations and reports from the TUC into increasing taxes and closing tax loopholes at UK level.'

 Carried

59. Edinburgh Local Association

"That this AGM instructs Council to develop a suite of training and materials that will support and progress the organising and campaigning skills of EIS reps and members. To include, but not be limited to:

  1. local and national campaigning;
  2. lobbying;
  3. broader political/trade union education."

Amendment Glasgow Local Association

After "EIS reps" and before "and members" insert ',Health and Safety Reps'.

Carried

60. Dumfries and Galloway Local Association

"That this AGM believes that all secondary school students should have the right to meaningful courses about rights at work including the role of trade unions before the end of S4.

Accordingly, the AGM resolves that the EIS should (in collaboration with the STUC) write to the First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Education seeking the inclusion of Rights at Work experiences and outcomes as an essential part of the health and wellbeing curriculum linked to Developing the Young Workforce initiatives in all secondary schools in time for the start of session 2024/25.

The AGM further resolves that progress is reported back to Council as soon as possible."

Amendment Council

Remove: "(in collaboration with the STUC)", remove: "health and wellbeing" and remove "in time for the start of session 2024/25".

 Withdrawn

61. Dumfries and Galloway Local Association

"That this AGM instruct the EIS to draft and translate into common community languages a piece of text for the EIS website, explaining the history of the EIS and its current role. Those languages may include Bangla, Chinese, Lithuanian, Polish, Punjabi, Scottish Gaelic, Ukrainian and Urdu."

Amendment Glasgow Local Association

Delete the last sentence.

 Carried

62. Council

"That this AGM notes the wide disparity in early diagnosis of prostate cancer in Scotland in comparison to the rest of the UK.

This AGM instructs Council to embark upon a campaign among our members to raise awareness of the importance of early diagnosis, the benefits of PSA testing, and the fact that early prostate cancer tends to be asymptomatic.

This campaign to include the following:

  • Informing members of the benefits of early diagnosis of prostate cancer.
  • Informing members of how they can be tested for prostate cancer.
  • Producing materials for distribution to members, including flyers, videos and social media posts, encouraging them to complete the Prostate Cancer UK online risk checker."

 Carried

63. Midlothian Local Association

"This AGM instructs council to initiate a campaign to promote membership of, and attendance at, the EIS Additional Support Needs Network to ensure there is a breadth of representation from across Scotland."

 Carried

64. Renfrewshire Local Association

"That this AGM calls on the EIS to work more closely with non-teaching unions to support school staff and to collaborate and campaign together on educational issues."

 Carried

65. Midlothian Local Association

"This AGM instructs Council to investigate and report on how Local Authorities distribute Pupil Equity Funding for pupils attending more than one setting."

 Carried

66. Edinburgh Local Association

"That this AGM instructs Council to develop a campaign to put pressure on Scottish Government to address the recruitment shortfall in a range of specialist subjects."

 Carried

67. Glasgow and Renfrewshire Local Association

"That this AGM calls on the EIS to investigate and report on the implications for school budgets and associated workload arising from centralised procurement systems, including PECOS, in light of cuts in school and departmental budgets."

 Carried

68. Renfrewshire Local Association

"That this AGM instructs Council to develop a ready reckoner to be added to the EIS website in future industrial action campaigns that would allow those seeking exemption from strike action for pregnancy to enter their personal EWC and self-determine their eligibility for exemption and thereafter apply for exemptions in the normal way."

 Carried

69. EIS-FELa

"That this AGM notes that as part of its hostile environment towards refugees the Home Office is redesignating post-military coup Sudan as a safe destination to which asylum seekers can return.

This AGM calls on the Home Office to take cognisance of the situation in Sudan and not subject the lives and security of Sudanese asylum seekers to risk by forcible return."

 Carried

70. Glasgow Local Association

"This AGM calls on Council to investigate and report on the gender bias in the wording of the EIS Political Fund Rules."

Amendment Glasgow Local Association

After "Rules" insert 'and other relevant rules and policies as and when they are updated'.

 Carried

71. Glasgow and East Dunbartonshire Local Association

"That this AGM call on the Scottish Government and Local Authorities to honour their commitments to Net Zero. This should include:

  1. A radical and coherent programme of retrofitting of outdated public building stock with non-fossil fuel heating and appropriate insulationand ventilation.
  2. A ban of single use plastics in schools, including through vending machines
  3. That recycling of waste by cleaning staff be included as part of the regular cleansing of school buildings.

Furthermore, that this AGM instruct council to campaign that all new school buildings in Scotland be constructed with sustainability of environmentally friendly practices in mind, including but not limited to, solar panels to help reduce power costs and charging points for EV to encourage those teachers who to need to drive, in order to move away from ICE vehicles."

 Carried

72. Aberdeenshire Local Association

"That this AGM instruct Council to develop an environmental waste policy to apply to the preparation and distribution of materials relating to routine operational business and to campaign-associated materials."

 Carried

73. West Dunbartonshire Local Association

"This AGM instructs Council to support and campaign for public ownership of the fossil fuel corporations and the privatised gas and electricity companies."

 Carried

74. South Lanarkshire Local Association

"That this AGM notes that the structures of some STUC affiliates allow their members, who are no longer employed in the workplaces where these affiliates organise, to continue to participate in some of the work and some of the campaigns that these affiliates support.

Consequently, this AGM instructs Council to investigate and report on the feasibility of affording the same opportunities to EIS members in similar categories.

  1. On how some other STUC affiliates, particularly in relation to their structures and governance arrangements, facilitates continued trade union activity by what might be described as retired members in aspects of the work and campaigns supported by them specifically and the STUC in generally.

    This often takes place through Trade Union Council activity.
  2. If necessary, map out any changes that might be required to the category of life member to afford EIS activists the same opportunities for continued trade union activism as is afforded retired members insome other STUC affiliates."

 Carried

75. Glasgow Local Association

"This AGM calls for training to be offered to support members when preparing motions. This training to include but not be limited to:

  1. Writing a motion with a focus on the language used.
  2. Creating an argument to support the motion.
  3. Presenting the motion with a focus on public speaking skills."

 Carried