Created on: 21 Dec 2022 | Last modified: 21 Apr 2023
Colleagues,
Just a very quick line or two to congratulate you and thank you for the tremendous effort put into the first in the series of our
planned strike days.
Your support to and organisation of members ahead of Thursday 24th November contributed greatly to the EIS being strike strong on the day, with members turning out in their hundreds and thousands on picket lines and at rallies across the country. There could be no doubt in anyone’s mind of the strength of the resolve of EIS members to fight for fair pay!
Next week, SSTA and NASUWT colleagues will be striking on Wednesday and Thursday. Enclosed with this bulletin are posters and stickers to enable EIS members to express their solidarity with striking colleagues. Please display the posters prominently on the EIS noticeboard and distribute stickers to members for wearing should they wish. A digital image will also be available for download onto phones and/or paper, depending on availability/accessibility of printing facilities.
Also included in this bulletin is a link to EIS advice on the strikes taking place on 7th and 8th December by SSTA/NASUWT. Across the month of December in the lead up to the break, we hope to be in discussion with COSLA and Scottish Government towards reaching a settlement. We will also be encouraging Branches to participate in campaign-focused festive activity. Further details to follow soon!
In the meantime, thank you again for the brilliant work that you’re doing to help win a fair pay settlement for Scotland’s
teachers.
In solidarity
Andrea Bradley, General Secretary
We have issued advice on our website for members regarding the forthcoming SSTA/NASUWT strikes and it may be found here:
www.eis.org.uk/otherunionstrike/faq
The central premise of our advice is that it is a well-established trade union principle that members of different trade unions seek to support each others’ legitimate demands and show what solidarity is possible in the circumstances.
The SSTA and NASUWT strike is unlikely to close many schools, and, therefore, some aggressive Local Authorities are seeking to use EIS members to provide cover or supervision to SSTA/NASUWT striking members’ classes, i.e. to effectively break the strike on our common national pay dispute.
EIS members are advised to refuse any request to provide cover/supervision to such classes/pupils and to seek EIS support from your Local Association as set out in the FAQ. Please make members aware of the advice in the FAQ.
If there are any technical queries regarding the other teachers’ unions’ strike action then please contact: strike@eis.org.uk
The EIS Council is the principal executive committee of the EIS. It meets around five times a year, usually in Edinburgh and at the AGM. Nomination forms for members interested in standing for election to Council for 2023/2024 will be available from the EIS website.
Action for Reps and Branch Secs: Please make members aware of upcoming Council nominations and display the enclosed flyer on school notice boards.
As you will be aware, EIS-FELA launched its multi-themed Fighting for the Future of Further Education campaign on Wednesday 16th November. Branch officials were briefed prior to launch on the use of EIS Engage to track member activity and member pledges to support to the campaign. The initial response rate has been positive, with some teething issues needing ironed out with EIS Engage being addressed.
Action for Branch Secs: The EIS-FELA Executive will discuss progress thus far at its meeting on Friday 2nd December. Look out for further information following this.
Training is available for all EIS Reps and activists who are thinking of becoming a Rep. The 4-day courses are offered in 2 x 2-day blocks and are aimed at Reps who are relatively new in the role or those who have had no formal union training.
Action for Reps: If you are a Rep, Health and Safety Rep or are a member interested in becoming one, then please visit the Meetings and Events section of the EIS website for all the latest courses, and contact your Local Association/Branch Secretary to be nominated.
The EIS is committed to providing all members with high quality professional learning opportunities that support career-long professional development. Members interested in attending courses, should contact Rob Henthorn or Pauline McColgan EIS Professional Learning Coordinators, to register interest.
Action for Reps: Please display the leaflet enclosed with this bulletin with a full list of upcoming professional learning opportunities in your establishment.
New Probationers - There may be current probationer teacher colleagues who have not joined the union. EIS membership is free for all current probationers until December 2023. After that, probationers can get a further 50% discount on full membership for the following nine months if they update their direct debit details with us by the end of their 18-month free period.
EIS members who joined as students should update their membership details, for example school details, at the start of their probationary year.
Previous Probationers – There may still be teachers in your school who are no longer in their probationary period but did not join at the end of their free membership (ended Dec 2021). Please check and follow up- if they did not set up a direct debit with the EIS, they are not members.
Action for Reps: Encourage current probationer teacher colleagues to join for free online today and speak to your colleagues who were previous probationers about continuing their membership.
If you have new colleagues who are EIS members, they should update their school base or personal contact details on the MyEIS section of the website. Remind them to log on using their EIS number. It is quick and simple to set up a password. Alternatively, as a Rep, you should have access to member lists for your school and you can update details on their behalf.
Action for Reps: Visit www.eis.org.uk/Account/EISLogin to update member details.
If you have an issue that you need help resolving, contact your Local Association Secretary. EIS Local Associations also meet regularly to discuss local issues, and members are welcome to attend and stand for positions on the Local Association’s Committee of Management.
Action for Reps: Visit your Local Association website to discover what meetings and events they are running over the coming months and to get involved.
This is the ideal time to set up an EIS branch meeting, while we face continuing strike action in January. Your EIS Organiser can support with this by attending and speaking on the Pay Campaign or a specific topic of your choice.
Action for Reps: Visit www.eis.org.uk/Contacts/Organisers