Created on: 01 Jul 2025
On Friday 9th May, EIS Council approved a consultative ballot of members in pursuit of the SNCT dispute over the failure of COSLA & Scottish Government to definitively set out how workload will be reduced through the weekly class contact reduction of 90 minutes that they have promised.
The consultative ballot is an internal EIS ballot. We believe that the result will show COSLA & Scottish Government your willingness as EIS members, who have identified workload as a serious issue, to take action to reduce your workload through class contact reduction and the allocation of the 90 minutes gained to ‘preparation and correction’ time.
This 90-minute weekly class contact reduction was promised in the Manifesto that the Scottish Government was voted in on in 2021, and it was part of their programme for government. Sustained pressure is required to ensure that the Scottish Government keeps to its word on this matter.
Action for Reps: Keep talking to members about the importance of having a 90-minute reduction in weekly class contact and using that 90 minutes for members’ own ‘preparation and correction’. This is the only significant investment in teachers the Scottish Government/COSLA is working on that will lead to a significant cut in workload and an increase in time to carry out ‘preparation and correction’- all activities that teachers carry out to prepare for learning, teaching and assessment, and to provide feedback to learners. Furthermore, the extra teachers required to deliver the class contact time reduction will help alleviate the issue of thousands of teachers being trapped on precarious contracts.
On Friday 9th May, EIS Council also approved a ‘Day of Action’ as part of the SU4QE campaign to address teacher precarity – i.e. the large number of newly qualified and recently qualified teachers who have not been offered full time or permanent contracts.
More information to follow.
A national campaign against cuts to Instrumental Music Services has been refreshed in recent months due to threats of cuts across several local authority areas. Whilst budgets have now been set in local authorities, the campaign continues to highlight a lack of progress in the implementation of key Scottish Government manifesto commitments.
New campaign materials are being circulated, along with the launch of a new area on the EIS website where a campaign briefing can be found. A public petition opposing cuts to Instrumental Music Services can also be found on the website.
Action for Reps: Please encourage members and partners to sign this petition and publicise the campaign locally using the posters and leaflets circulated.
The EIS’s overarching position is the principle that all young people have the right to learn, and teachers and lecturers have the right to work, in an educational environment that is free from discrimination, where the rights of all are equally upheld.
The EIS has written to the Cabinet Secretary for Education seeking immediate and clear guidance for schools on the practical implementation of the legal framework related to education, in light of the Supreme Court decision.
More information can be found here.
Action for Reps: please highlight to members.
At this time of year, you will be looking to refresh your Working Time Agreement which is the key school-level tool to manage your workload. WTAs should be negotiated between staff and the management of the school and signed off by the representative for the union with the largest number of members - in most schools this will be the EIS Rep. Plan a meeting now to review your WTA and check LNCT guidance. Downloadable resources are available from the EIS website here.
Action for Reps: Plan a branch meeting to review your current Working Time Agreement and plan the negotiations for next year’s WTA. If you need help and advice, contact your Organiser or Local Association Secretary.
We support and train members to become school-based EIS Representatives. This includes Health & Safety, Learning and Equality Reps. The EIS works with college tutors to deliver TUC accredited Reps’ training. This year’s future dates will be published shortly. Members who wish to take part should contact their LA Secretary.
Action for Reps: If you are a Rep who wishes to attend training, please contact your LA Secretary to apply for an EIS training course.
The period of free membership for current probationer teachers ended in December 2024. Those who wish to remain EIS members must provide direct debit details and begin paying subs. An email has been sent from Membership as a reminder. Please encourage any remaining probationer members to complete their direct debit details via their account on MyEIS.
Action for Reps and Branch Secretaries: Reach out and talk with probationers and new staff. If they are already an EIS member then please ensure that they have updated their membership details at MyEIS.
It is important for EIS reps to have two-way communications with their Local Association – to share what is happening in their school and to hear what is happening at the local authority level.
We have a team of EIS Organisers that support Local Associations and who visit branches to discuss our latest campaigns, local campaign issues and to support Reps.
Action for Reps: Please engage with your Local Association Secretary and attend LA meetings if you can. Please reach out to your local EIS Organiser to attend a branch meeting or if you want support as a Rep.