2018 Pay Consultative Ballot
The 2018 Pay Consultative Ballot on the revised pay offer closes at noon on Thursday 21 February.
We have had a tremendous response from members with more than 55% of members taking part in the ballot. I would like to thank all the members who have responded so far and encourage those who have not had the opportunity to do so sooner rather than later. If you have not received an invitation please contact SSTA Headquarters at info@ssta.org.uk or by calling 0131 313 7300.
Please note: Only members employed by local authorities are eligible to vote.
Workload and ASN
The Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee would like to thank all school representatives who arranged meetings and replied to the consultative survey (a 58% return) in such a short time scale. The information was extremely useful and highlighted the major concerns over teacher workload and lack of ASN support in dealing with pupils who are finding school life challenging. The committee is preparing to move swiftly on these issues and will be working with other unions to bring about a major change in both the lives of teachers and pupils.
The SSTA has made it clear that in the event of any pay settlement there must be specific clauses to address teacher workload and ASN provision.
SSTA Vice President Election 2019-2021
The Vice-President election closed on 31 January and was conducted by the Electoral Reform Services.
The postal ballot result with a 16.1% turnout is:
Catherine Nicol (North Ayrshire) 659
Stuart Hunter (West Lothian) 397
Catherine Nicol is duly elected as SSTA Vice President.
University College London – opportunities for students
We have been contacted by University College London (UCL) who is keen to widen participation at UCL, and in particularly for Scottish students. UCL organise residential summer schools which would make it accessible for Scottish students. On the residential summer schools, students receive a week long course in the subject of their choosing from leading academics and get specialised presentations on the UCAS application process. All of this is completely free for students, including evening activities and accommodation. In addition, UCL pays for their travel to and from London.
It would be a great opportunity for students in S5 who may never have considered travelling all the way to London. There’s more information on the residential summer schools here:
https://www.ucl.ac.uk/widening-participation/learners/year-12-and-13/residential-summer-schools.
SSTA Essentials Travel Cover
SSTA Essentials has been arranged for SSTA by Philip Williams & Company and includes Worldwide Travel Insurance starting from as little as £96.
SSTA Essentials Travel Cover includes Annual Worldwide Travel Insurance, covering family members for trips up to 31 continuous days duration as standard. There may be any number of trips broken by a return to the UK in any one year. Annual Winter sports cover is included up to 17 days in any year.
You can buy our low cost Worldwide Annual Travel Insurance on it’s own, or add Home Emergency and Motor Breakdown to your travel policy for the combined Essentials package.
Further information can be found at www.sstatravelinsurance.com