The Salaries Committee has considered the pay offer this afternoon and has agreed to open a consultative ballot on the offer, with a recommendation that members accept the offer. The means to vote in the consultative ballot is set out at the foot of this email.
The Salaries Committee agreed to recommend the offer on the following grounds:
- The 7% settlement for 2022-23 gives a large uplift and is unlikely to be improved upon without significant additional strike action.
- The 5% uplift in April 2023 and the 2% uplift in January 2024 (until August 2024) are significant uplifts in a period in which we expect inflation to fall.
- The offer is worth 14.6% (compound interest) over the 28 month period and takes a top of the scale unpromoted teacher to £47,565p.a. in April 2023 and £48,516p.a. by 1 January 2024.
- The cash terms values of the offer compares favourably with other public sector settlements.
- The new settlement date of 1st August will avoid long delays to future pay settlements caused by parliamentary or local government elections and separates our pay negotiations from other public sector pay negotiations’ timelines, and our negotiations are therefore less likely to be affected by the other negotiations. This best protects the occupational interests of teachers/associated professionals. The EIS has been pursuing this change for a number of years, and it has been a point of emphasis for us in recent negotiations.
- The strike action has successfully called members out in solid strike action without any fissures. Undertaking further significant strike action for minimal potential gains may risk straining this solidarity within the membership.
- The Salaries Committee has asked the Executive Committee that the programme of strike action in pursuit of the pay claim be cancelled whilst the consultative ballot is being undertaken.
The online consultative ballot has been opened, and it will close at 10.00am on 10 March 2023.
Scotland's largest teacher trade union.