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Message from the General Secretary
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Colleagues
I hope that you all had a good break and have started the final term of the year feeling somewhat refreshed and re-energised after the exertions of the past few months, including our very successful Pay Attention campaign.
Colleagues in Further and Higher Education continue in their fight for fair pay awards for lecturers, and the EIS remain fully supportive of them in the endeavour to win parity with the hard-fought teachers’ pay award.
In recent weeks, we have been working on the results of the member survey which points very strongly to the need for decisive action by government and employers on teacher workload and wellbeing.
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The Executive Committee will consider how the EIS can apply the requisite pressure on this matter, on Friday of this week.
At local level, it’s important that members engage fully in the discussions around next year’s Working Time Agreements in the interests of workload control. These discussions and the final agreements should take cognisance of the full range of workload demands that might be made in the coming year, including in the Secondary sector, any that arise from the delivery of SQA qualifications.
Workload audits can be a helpful way of calculating what is and is not deliverable within the terms of the 35-hour working week. Where the number of hours required to overtake the proposed workload for any week, taking account of parents’ evenings, reporting, etc., exceeds 35, then this should be raised with the management of the school with a view to agreeing priorities within the parameters of the teacher’s contract.
On Education Reform, the EIS’s engagement continues to be strong as we advocate through a range of channels for greater professional trust in teachers and for meaningful involvement of teachers and their trade union representatives in decision-making about and within the education agencies, and on all aspects of education policy.
It is incumbent upon the Scottish Government to genuinely listen to the strong voice of the EIS on these matters. We are hopeful that the new Cabinet Secretary for Education shares our thinking in this regard and we look forward to working collaboratively with her in the months and years ahead, for the benefit of Scottish Education, our children and young people and adult learners, and their teachers and lecturers.
I wish you all the very best for the remainder of the term ahead.
Andrea Bradley
General Secretary
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A number of local authorities said that they were not able to pay back pay before the end of the last financial year. This means that arrears are being paid within those local authority areas in the current financial year, resulting in higher payment of tax by some members.
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The EIS has taken every step possible, including writing to all employers and to COSLA, urging that payment of the April 2022 pay award in the 2022/23 tax year, but the majority of employers reported that it was not operationally possible for this to be done. If the back pay is paid in your April 2023 salary payment (or later) it will be subject to the tax rates applicable for 2023/24 and your employer should have provided information to explain this and on how to claim back any tax overpayment. The EIS cannot provide individual advice on tax matters but our general advice on how to claim back tax is within our Pay Offer FAQs.
As both income tax and benefits matters are outside the EIS's sphere of influence and expertise, we are unable to offer any further guidance on this at present and you should contact HMRC at the end of the 2023/24 tax year if you believe that you have overpaid income tax. The child benefit calculator for 2023/24 is available online.
You can claim tax relief on your EIS and GTC subscriptions and your pension deductions are not taxable.
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With the outcome of the National Discussion expected this Spring and the publication of the Hayward Review’s Interim Report, work is continuing at pace on Education Reform. The Education Committee is finalising its response on proposals to introduce a Scottish Diploma of Achievement, and this will be submitted imminently.
Meanwhile, we continue to represent members’ views on the Education Reform Delivery Boards, tasked with shaping the new national agencies to replace Education Scotland and the SQA.
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We have shared our concerns that unless teacher voice is truly at the heart of governance arrangements, particularly of the new qualifications body, then the culture shift and professional trust needed to rebuild the current broken system and deliver meaningful change, will not materialise.
We continue to argue for greater transparency and separation between accreditation and regulation and the awarding function of the new qualifications body, stressing the imperative for independence in the former.
With legislation promised within this Parliamentary session, it is clear that reform will continue to dominate the educational landscape and the work of the Education Department in the run up to summer.
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SQA Decision to Remove Modifications
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The SQA recently announced its decision to remove modifications for some SQA courses in 2023/24. This decision has provoked some strong responses from Secondary members, particularly those teaching Science, Social Subjects and Music, who have specific concerns about the validity of aspects of coursework.
More information on the EIS position is available on our website.
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A fair pay rise for college lecturers forms one of six key demands we have of college leaders and the Scottish Government.
Following a derisory 2% pay offer and a refusal to increase this offer from college employers' members of the EIS-FELA, across all 26 of Scotland's Further Education colleges, will begin action short of strike (ASOS) on Tuesday 2nd May 2023.
ASOS will take the form of a 'work to rule' and a resulting boycott.
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Hutchesons' Grammar School - Industrial Action Ballot
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The EIS is currently balloting members at Hutchesons' Grammar School for industrial action in defence of their pensions.
Like most teachers in Scotland and most teachers in independent schools in Scotland, Hutchesons' Grammar School teachers are members of the Scottish Teachers Pension Scheme – the state guaranteed defined benefit pension.
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To make long-term financial savings, Hutchesons' Grammar School have effectively bullied staff into agreeing a new contract with a private defined contribution pension (which will be inferior to the state backed pension currently provided.) The School issued "dismissal letters" to teachers with deadlines for them to agree new contracts over the Easter Break.
Strike action is the only option left to them to fight the introduction of these inferior pensions. The ballot is open until the 4th of May.
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EIS Working Time Agreement Meetings
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We have reached the time in the year to negotiate school Working Time Agreements. Organising a branch meeting is a great way to bring EIS members together where they can discuss the key issues and timeline. You should speak with your School Rep about this.
If you would like your local EIS Organiser to attend a school branch meeting, then please contact your LA Secretary or contact them directly.
The best agreements are delivered when all those who participate are up to speed and prepared. With this in mind, contact your Local Association Secretary to find out when your local WTA training is taking place.
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We support and train members to become school-based EIS Representatives, this includes Health and Safety and Equalities Reps.
The EIS works with the TUC to deliver accredited Reps training. If you are a member who has an interest in becoming a Rep, wants to learn more, or have recently taken over as a new Rep then please visit our website.
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If you are in a school that does not currently have an EIS Rep, it is even more important that you are as up to date as possible with everything that is going on. We are here to help and support everyone. Contact your area Organiser and/or Local Association Secretary to arrange a catchup meeting.
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Informal Equality Networks
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The informal EIS Equality Networks connect EIS members who are underrepresented in the profession and keep you up to date with equality news and initiatives.
These are informal spaces to meet others, make connections and find out more about how the work of the EIS relates to you. The Networks advise the EIS Equality Committee on equality issues, and thereby also give members the chance to shape EIS policy.
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