In 2016 the SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee determined to conduct a consultation of members in response to the 2017 Pay Award. The Committee is keen to get members views on the Pay Award prior to the SNCT meeting on 18 December and to assist in future pay negotiations. In early December the SSTA circulated information to members on the 2017 Pay Award (see below).
The SSTA is well aware of the demands of teachers at this time of year but hopes you would appreciate the importance of your views through this short survey on such an important matter.
An email has been sent out to members’ ‘Preferred’ email address with a unique link to complete the survey. If any member hasn’t received the email they are advised to check the spam/junk folder of their email account. If the email isn’t there, please contact the SSTA office on 0131 313 7300 or email info@ssta.org.uk with an alternative email address for the survey link to be sent to.
2017 Pay Award
When the Scottish Budget was announced in December 2016 it made a provision for a 1% pay increase for all public sector workers in the 2017-2018 pay round. This was in line with the pay restraint measures determined by the Westminster Government. Discussions with the employers and government were delayed as a consequence of both the General and Council elections held earlier in the year. The first meeting of the SNCT to discuss the teacher side pay claim took place at the end of June prior to the summer break.
In the SNCT discussions a number of suggestions were considered but were rejected by the teachers’ side as the employers were attempting to make an offer in keeping with other public sector workers. Despite the commitments by government to address the teacher shortages, new teacher career pathways and lifting the public sector pay cap, the employers were held to the funding allocated within the Scottish 2016 Budget.
The Teachers’ Side sought a closure of the 2017 pay claim, a separate claim for 2018 with a promise of additional money, and a separate discussion on teacher career pathways. As a consequence further discussions have taken place between the employers and the government to prepare a pay offer.
It is anticipated that the offer will be a 1% increase backdated to cover April to end of December 2017, and a further 1% from January until the end of March, across all grades and scale points. We are advising that there will be an SNCT on 18 December and that we hope the offer to be made and accepted at that meeting.