Created on: 20 Nov 2025
The EIS has announced its deep disappointment at the Scottish Government’s announcement of its proposals over the promised reduction in teachers’ class contact time.
The Scottish Government plans have been shared with the media, and will be announced at a meeting of headteachers and depute headteachers, before they have been presented to the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), the agreed tripartite negotiating forum for teachers’ terms and conditions.
Commenting on the announcement, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, "The EIS will await further details of these proposals coming via the SNCT, which is the appropriate forum for discussions on teachers' terms and conditions.
"Almost five years after the promise was made to reduce teacher workload and almost a year after teachers were given assurances that proposals for implementation of the commitment would be on the table, it is deeply disappointing that the Scottish Government has made related announcements via the media before appropriate discussion at the SNCT where teachers are represented by their unions."
"Once the EIS has the opportunity to scrutinise the Scottish Government's proposals, our Salaries Committee will discuss these and formulate a response.
"A red line for teachers remains that the 1.5 hour reduction in class contact must be allocated to teachers' preparation of learning, teaching and assessment, and teachers treated as trusted professionals to use the time as they see fit in support of young people and their learning.
"There can be no government or employer diktat over how this time should be utilised by teachers."
"In the meantime, the EIS workload statutory ballot remains open over the failure to deliver the promised 1.5 hour reduction in maximum class contact time for all of Scotland's teachers as a means of reducing workload.
"The EIS urges all teachers to vote in this ballot and to vote Yes to strike action and Yes to Action Short of Strike."