Tackling Teacher Workload – An SSTA Priority
The SSTA National Executive is preparing for an official postal ballot on industrial action in the coming weeks — the next step in its campaign to reduce teacher workload and related stress.
Seamus Searson, SSTA General Secretary, said:
“Tackling excessive teacher workload is now our top priority, following the settlement of teacher pay for 2025–2027. The SSTA, alongside our sister teacher trade unions, is embarking on a campaign of industrial action to secure a long-overdue reduction in class contact time for all teachers.
The proposed cut of 90 minutes is a modest but significant step toward addressing unsustainable workloads. The Scottish Government promised to reduce class contact time four years ago; yet, despite countless meetings and discussions, we remain no closer to seeing that promise fulfilled.
Our Delivering the 90 Minutes and Protecting Secondary Teachers consultative survey revealed the strength of feeling among members. An overwhelming 92% expressed their willingness to take action short of strike action, while 72% indicated their readiness to take strike action to resolve the ongoing dispute with employers.”
SSTA President Monique Dreon-Goold added:
“SSTA members are struggling under the excessive workload demands placed upon them. School bureaucracy has spiralled out of control, pulling teachers away from their most vital role — teaching and learning in the classroom. The additional tasks expected of teachers today bear little resemblance to their workload just a decade ago.
Schools must refocus on supporting classroom teaching and remove the impossible demands that hinder rather than help. It is time to let teachers teach.
SSTA members must stand together to demand a fair and reasonable workload that protects their wellbeing and the future of the profession. The reduction of 90 minutes in class contact time is only the first step in that fight”.