Created on: 04 Jun 2026
The outgoing President of the EIS has warned that Health and Safety is a ‘ticking time bomb’ within Scottish education, with year-on-year increases in abuse, threats and violence against staff.
Delivering his final speech as President, at the EIS AGM in Dundee, Adam Sutcliffe warned local authority employers and the Scottish Government that they must do more to ensure that schools are safe places in which to work and to learn.
In his Presidential address, Mr Sutcliffe said, “Health and Safety is the ticking time bomb in Scottish education that is just waiting to go boom.
"The level of violence, aggression, misogyny, bullying, sexism, ablism, homophobia, transphobia and racism that teachers and lecturers are having to deal with on a daily basis is completely and utterly intolerable.”
Mr Sutcliffe continued, “Our employers and the government are not yet up to the task of protecting us. We have a legislative right to work in an environment that keeps us safe.”
Mr Sutcliffe added, “Members in a school I recently visited told me that levels of violence and abuse that were considered unacceptable only 5 years ago are being routinely ignored in order to be able to simply carry on with the day.”
Mr Sutcliffe went on to reference the ongoing dispute at City of Glasgow College, where welding lecturers are currently on strike over the lack of adequate Health & Safety precautions to protect staff and students from hazardous welding fumes and dust, some known to be carcinogenic.
“I want to give a message of solidarity to our 8 welders at City of Glasgow College, who in the face of utterly disgraceful intransigence by their employer are still on strike simply to demand the RPE (Respiratory Protective Equipment) that they require to keep them safe at work. It is important that City of Glasgow College hears our message that the EIS is behind our welders all the way.”
Later in his speech, Mr Sutcliffe looked ahead to the visit by newly appointed Education Secretary Màiri McAllan, who will speak at AGM on Thursday evening.
“Màiri, for this electoral campaign we provided you with a costed manifesto for Quality Education.
"This government needs to use its tax raising powers to inspire the extremely wealthy to stop avoiding or evading and start contributing more…to create a fairer, more equal society and to contribute to a quality education system that really does enable those within it to become successful learners, confident individuals, effective contributors and responsible citizens."