The EIS has been made aware of the recent statements made by a sister Scottish teaching union regarding the recent Agreement, between the EIS, the Scottish Government and COSLA, on Class Contact Time reduction, which was discussed at today’s meeting of the Teachers’ Panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT).
Following the overwhelming backing of EIS members for industrial action in a statutory ballot, the EIS was invited to talks by the Scottish Government and COSLA to discuss how industrial action could be avoided.
The agreement that arose from these discussions between the EIS, Scottish Government and COSLA has now, quite rightly, passed to the SNCT to allow for formal agreement and future implementation.
In light of the comments made in the statement by our sister trade union, the EIS would wish to state the following points:
- The agreement between the EIS, Scottish Government and COSLA suspended the EIS’s planned industrial action.
- The EIS, SG and COSLA agreement was required to be taken to SNCT Teachers’ Panel as the basis of a full SNCT agreement.
- The EIS General Secretary shared the EIS, SG and COSLA agreement with all other unions on Tuesday 17th March.
- The Teachers’ Panel met today (Monday 23 March) – the first available opportunity – in order to consider the agreement.
- Phased implementation of primary then secondary has been discussed consistently within the confines of the SNCT RCCT working group meetings for more than a year.
- All members of the SNCT Teachers’ Panel agreed a position three weeks ago, prior to the conclusion of the EIS statutory ballot, of phased implementation with a two-year gap with secondary following primary.
- A reliance on previous Scottish Government modelling could have led to a later implementation than what was agreed (into the 2030s).
- The EIS, SG, COSLA agreement delivers on the two aspects of the formal SNCT dispute over Class Contact Time reduction: agreed use of the time and an agreed implementation plan.
- The use of time ‘red line’ of the Teachers’ Side was delivered on fully. This means that there will be no direction on how teachers should utilise the time that will be freed up from class contact reduction.
- The Scottish Government intimated that 2029 implementation for Secondary was a “red line” for them, in the same way as the use of time was a red line for the Teachers’ Side - they would not move on this.
- The agreement also delivers a commitment for the Scottish Government to fully fund implementation in light of the need for workforce expansion – with no detriment to existing teachers, or promoted teachers.
- The agreement also gives the SNCT a key role in overseeing the implementation of class contact reduction, in the coming months and years, which will involve strategic workforce planning to address the issues around the overall surplus of Primary teacher numbers but shortages in particular geographical areas, and significant shortages of Secondary teacher numbers across a large number of subjects, further compounded in several rural and island areas by geographical challenges.
- The agreement will secure additional permanent teaching jobs now and in the future – Local Authorities are receiving an additional £40 million right now that will result in expanded recruitment and retention this year.
- Work on implementation of the agreement will commence as soon as agreement is formalised within the SNCT.
- All but one of the teaching unions has indicated their support of the agreement – we still await a view from SSTA, who abstained their votes at the Teachers’ Panel meeting held today.
