Created on: 21 Aug 2025
As members will be aware from the previous update, a special meeting of the SNCT was held yesterday, 20th August 2025.
This meeting was scheduled at the request of the SNCT Teachers’ Side in order to receive the promised report on COSLA and the Scottish Government’s “scoping work” on the commitment to reduce teachers’ weekly class contact time to 21 hours.
Yesterday’s meeting commenced with a report from COSLA primarily outlining a series of challenges that they had identified that stood in the way of reducing class contact time and a list of potential solutions, most of which would have been unacceptable to the Teachers’ Side.
Although COSLA reported having undertaken extensive scoping work, much of what was asserted in the paper lacked evidence.
Disappointingly, COSLA leaders have failed to come to a position on the use of the 1.5 hours resulting from a reduction in weekly class contact time to 21 hours.
The Scottish Government, in their own report to yesterday’s SNCT, made clear that they did not agree with some of the assertions put forward by COSLA.
They proposed that a work plan for the swift commencement of implementation be tabled for the relevant SNCT subgroup and stated that future discussion must take place within the confines of the SNCT.
The proposal of the Scottish Government is encouraging, as the SNCT Teachers’ Side has repeatedly expressed concern at being excluded from discussions being held between COSLA and the Scottish Government, and has been pressing for swift progress.
Accordingly, the Teachers’ Side agreed with the Scottish Government’s proposal, before COSLA, when pressed, similarly agreed.
It is clear that the EIS workload consultative ballot is beginning to apply pressure, on both the Scottish Government and COSLA. Yesterday’s joint commitment to now begin to meaningfully negotiate is indicative of this. The Teachers’ Side is seeking an urgent meeting of the SNCT subgroup on reducing class contact time, constructive discussion and ultimately a resolution to the current workload dispute.
Although tentative progress is encouraging, there is still much to be done to achieve an acceptable resolution to this dispute. Neither the Scottish Government nor COSLA has yet agreed with the Teachers’ Side position that to address unsustainable, unfair and unhealthy levels of workload, class contact time reduction must result in the full 1.5 hours being afforded to teachers’ “preparation and correction” time.
To help persuade them, the strongest possible turnout and strongest possible vote for both ASOS and strike action is needed.
Thanks to those members who have helped build the pressure so far by voting YES to strike and YES to action short of strike.
We urge any members who have yet to vote to stand up together for quality education and against unfair workload but voting YES x2 today!