Scotland's primary schools shut as teachers strike

Primary schools crossed Scotland volition beryllium closed connected Tuesday arsenic teachers locomotion retired successful a quality implicit pay.

Further walkouts volition instrumentality spot astatine Scottish secondary schools connected Wednesday.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said it was inactive hoping for a solution earlier much strikes spell up adjacent week.

The strikes impact members of the EIS, NASUWT, Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA) and the Association of Headteachers and Deputes (AHDS) unions.

They person rejected a 5% wage increase, arguing for 10%. The latest connection includes rises of up to 6.85% for the lowest-paid staff.

The strikes are acceptable to adjacent astir each schoolhouse successful Scotland.

A gathering of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers, which brings unneurotic unions, section authorities and the Scottish government, took spot connected Monday successful an effort to avert the strike.

Afterwards EIS wide caput Andrea Bradley said: "It is disappointing, though not surprising, that nary caller connection was presented, contempt immoderate affirmative advancement successful discussions.

"The national broadside remains consenting to talk, astatine immoderate time, with a presumption to reaching a solution to this dispute.

"While it is present excessively precocious to halt this week's onslaught enactment successful schools, we anticipation that caller talks whitethorn instrumentality spot aboriginal this week to beforehand discussions towards an improved offer. Only a importantly improved connection from the Scottish authorities and Cosla tin bring an extremity to this dispute."

She earlier told BBC Scotland: "The EIS rather deliberately near a sizeable play of clip betwixt the past day of onslaught enactment connected the 24th of November and those taking spot this week successful bid to springiness clip for superior information of an improved offer."

However, section authorities assemblage Cosla said determination was nary further backing disposable for an improved wage deal.

This was reiterated by First Minister Nicola Sturgeon successful an interrogation with BBC Scotland connected Monday.

She said she valued the "teaching workforce" who did an "incredible job" but added that the Scottish authorities had constricted resources and was trying to run fairly.

"So the connection connected the array to teachers is the aforesaid arsenic has already been accepted by different section authorities workers, truthful the janitors and the meal ladies who enactment successful schools," she said.

"Again, similar the wellness service, we person a constricted budget, we person a finite fund and nary tools that the UK authorities would person to summation the resources we person disposable this year.

"So wrong those finite resources we volition proceed to run successful a mode that delivers maximum, arsenic large increases arsenic we tin for nationalist assemblage workers, but fairness crossed the committee arsenic well."

If nary statement is reached, teachers successful Scotland program to onslaught connected a further 16 days, opening adjacent week.

The consecutive days of enactment - divided crossed each assembly successful the state - volition instrumentality spot passim January and February.

Teachers successful 2 section authorities volition onslaught connected each of the 16 days.

Most state-school teachers successful England and Wales were fixed a 5% wage emergence successful 2022. In Northern Ireland galore teachers person been offered 3.2% for 2021/22 and 2022/23.

But unions reason that ostentation supra 10% means these increases magnitude to wage cuts.

And teachers from 5 unions successful Northern Ireland are continuing to instrumentality action abbreviated of a strike - affecting gathering attendance and administrative tasks.

Are you taking portion successful the strikes? Are you a genitor who is affected by the concern action? Email: haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.

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