Created on: 15 Aug 2025
With many schools across Scotland having now re-opened after the summer, and with more set to return next week, time is running out for the Scottish Government and COSLA to deliver on the commitment to address high teacher workload by delivering a promised reduction in teachers’ class contact time.
The country’s largest teaching union, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), is currently running a consultative ballot on industrial action over this issue, with the ballot set to close towards the end of the month.
The dispute over contact time has arisen following a party Manifesto pledge from the current Scottish Government administration, made before the last Scottish Parliament election in 2021. More than four years on from that pledge being made, and with less than a year until the next election, for teachers, there has been no tangible progress towards delivery of that commitment.
Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “With the new term having started in most schools across Scotland, we are now in the fifth school year since the promise was made to address severe teacher workload by reducing teachers’ class contact time. Since the pledge was made, the progress towards delivery of this commitment by the Scottish Government and COSLA has been slower than glacial.
Whilst the Scottish Government has made funds available to local authorities on the joint agreement that there would be collaboration towards implementing the 21 hours commitment, no progress been made on delivery. Eight months since that agreement, we are still awaiting proposals to be put on the table as to precisely how and when this promise to teachers, pupils and the Scottish electorate will be kept.”
Ms Bradley continued, “Our current consultative ballot for industrial action is a direct result of the inaction of the Scottish Government and COSLA on this vital issue. As the years have passed since the pledge was made, workload levels in our schools have continued to soar, and the frustration felt by teachers has continued to escalate.
The latest research carried out by the EIS confirmed that Scotland’s teachers are working, on average, an extra 11 hours per week, over and above their contractual commitments, in order to attempt to keep on top of workload demands. This simply isn’t sustainable, and is having a severe and detrimental impact on teachers’ physical and mental wellbeing, with potentially long-term consequences for their health.”
Ms Bradley added, “The Scottish Government and COSLA have run out of time, after years of stalling and obfuscation. They must now produce their plan for delivery of this commitment, then they must move at a rapid pace to actually deliver it. In the meantime, I would urge every EIS member who is eligible to use their vote in our Workload ballot before it closes later this month. A very strong and very clear result in this consultative ballot will send a message that the Scottish Government and COSLA cannot ignore.”