SNCT Pay Claim 2025-2026 ‘Doubt if it will be delivered on time’
The SNCT Teachers’ Side continues to await an improved pay offer, following the rejection of the initial 3% offer in March. The SSTA, alongside the EIS, has engaged with employers (COSLA) and the Scottish Government in efforts to reach a fair and timely settlement before the end of term.
The Teachers’ Side has consistently reiterated its position that any revised pay offer must:
- Exceed the rate of inflation,
- Include a restorative element to address past real terms pay erosion, and
- Apply equally across all SNCT pay grades, without differentiation.
While both COSLA and the Scottish Government have publicly stated their desire to reach an agreement before the end of term—allowing a salary increase to be implemented by the scheduled date of 1 August—time is rapidly running out. Unless a new and significantly improved pay offer is presented in the coming days, the likelihood of meeting this deadline appears increasingly remote.
Teachers have heard these reassurances before. Promises without action do little to restore confidence. Although the settlement date was already deferred from April to August to allow for negotiations, a further delay now seems inevitable.
Reduction in Class Contact Time – Unions need to act
Little progress has been made toward the long-promised reduction in class contact time, despite an agreement to establish an SNCT working group—including union representation—to move implementation forward.
To date:
- No meeting date has been set,
- No remit for the group has been shared, and
- The SNCT Teachers’ Side remains excluded from the planning discussions.
Meanwhile, the employers and the Scottish Government continue to meet independently, without union involvement—a clear breach of the SNCT’s constitutional procedures. This exclusion is unacceptable and undermines the principles of partnership working.
It has now been four years since the government pledged to reduce teacher class contact time. Continued delays and lack of meaningful engagement have left the teacher unions with little choice but to take further action.
The SSTA, together with other unions, is preparing to escalate efforts and seek direct support from members to increase pressure on decision-makers. The SSTA National Executive will meet next week to determine the union’s next steps in pursuing this critical issue.
Centre for Teaching Excellence
The University of Glasgow has been announced as the host of Scotland’s new Centre for Teaching Excellence and will be formally launched in the coming weeks. The Centre of Teaching Excellence is intended to support research and innovation in teaching practice for all children and young people, with the aim of making Scotland a world-leader in teaching practice. The centre is to be developed in partnership with teachers and professional associations as part of ongoing work to reform Scotland’s education system. To support the development of the centre a ‘National Teacher Survey’ has been released and we have been asked to encourage members to participate in the survey.
To access the survey please follow the link to the survey here.
SSTA Congress 2025
The 80th SSTA Annual Congress took place on Friday 9 and Saturday 10 May at the Stirling Court Hotel and a full report of proceedings with follow in the coming weeks.
Please follow the link to see the President’s and General Secretary’s address to Congress.