Category: Conditions of Service

The Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee has met and unanimously agreed to support the revised offer on the 1% + 1% Salary offer.  The Committee took the view that there was nothing significantly different in the new offer that would cause a change of position.  Moreover, the Committee rejected the need for any ballot on the same basis.

The differences with the new offer are noted below.

•  A clearer statement to the effect that teachers shall not be required to perform tasks currently undertaken by support staff.  However, Annex E shall still disappear.
• Confirmation that schools will be allowed to operate flexible working hours by agreement in School Working Time Committees.  These will be scrutinised by Joint Secretaries of the LNCT
• A change to “supply rate” payment to 2 days.

We welcome the eventual slight movement on this issue to allow our members to at last capture their salary increase now almost a year overdue.

The final version of the SNCT document relating to Charter Teacher courses is now available from here . The document clarifies future pay arrangements for teachers currently on the Chartered Teacher pay scale. Teachers on the Chartered Teacher scale will be assimilated at their current point on the scale in exchange for an enhanced role within the school. (more…)

The attached paper was agreed in principle at an SNCT meeting held yesterday, Thursday 31 May 2012.

This agreement ensures that teachers on the Charter Teacher scale will continue to receive their current salary in recognition of their enhanced role within schools. (more…)

Imposed changes to conditions of service and the payment of supply staff take effect from 1 September 2011. The changes are likely to cause confusion and uncertainty for supply staff and simply confuse payroll departments.

The SNCT document relating to these conditions of service is available from http://www.snct.org.uk/ and the most important changes are listed below in bullet points:

• There are now 3 categories of teacher employment. These are permanent, short term contract and supply.

• The changes have no effect on permanent contracts.

• Teachers on temporary contracts will continue to be paid for 7 hour days at the appropriate scale point from day 1 of the contract. Regular 0.2fte cover in a school, long term cover for illness or maternity leave, or repeated weekly cover for some other reason are all covered by temporary contract.

• Short term supply (sometimes referred to as the ‘odd day here and there’) is paid at 5/7 of scale point 1 for the first 5 days of any contract. In other words if you are asked to cover 2 days because teacher X is out of school, you will be paid 5/7 of scale point 1, or £15.63 per hour for 5 hours ( £78.15 per day).

• Probationers on the alternative route are paid 5/7 of scale point 0 ( £65.15 per day) for the first 5 days of a supply contract.

• After 5 days you are entitled to payment at your normal scale point and will be expected to work for 7 hours, in the normal fashion.

• A break in the contract means starting again at day 1 of the 5 days.

• A move to another school within the same authority means starting again at day 1 of the 5 days.

• Local authorities have agreed not to create artificial breaks in contract. If you believe this is happening please contact the Association immediately.

TO PROMOTED POSTHOLDERS IN EDINBURGH CITY

Dear Colleague

FACULTY ARRANGEMENTS IN EDINBURGH CITY

The current move in Edinburgh City towards faculty arrangements appears to have been left very substantially in the hands of headteachers rather than involve senior officials of the authority who might have experience in employment matters. As a result, a significant amount of misinformation may be circulating. It is not clear whether headteachers themselves have been inaccurately advised.

The Association offers the following advice to promoted postholders.

1. Do not agree that your post should be re-jobsized unless you are given a written statement of the reasons. Re-jobsizing may occur only where the SNCT rules on re-jobsizing are met. These are contained in the SNCT Handbook in Part 2, Appendix 2.3, Annex A. The precise terms are available via the SNCT website. The terms are not variable simply on the basis of a decision by an individual employer. It is not sufficient for the employer to say “Re-jobsizing takes place because of restructuring”.
2. Any members whose post is re-jobsized without their consent should ask for a written copy of the jobsizing questionnaire that was used in the re-jobsizing together with the associated scores. Members are reminded that they should retain copies of all jobsizing questionnaires and associated paperwork until they leave the service of that employer.
3. Members who are “invited” or instructed to apply for any new post should not do so until
   

   a. The relevant “invitation” or instruction is given in writing

   b. These materials have been forwarded to the General Secretary and

   c. Appropriate advice has been given to the member.

   Members should note that the existing protection given by the conservation provisions of the SNCT (such as they now are after the recent deterioration) may no longer apply if a teacher voluntarily applies for a new promoted post. Under no circumstances should members admit that their post is a “new” post.

4. The remit of any promoted teacher is an essential element of contract. No contract can be varied without the matter first being discussed with the employee. The employer may be able to enforce the change but the discussions must take place.
5. In particular (and to counter a suggestion made in at least one school) the current conservation provision is that a promoted postholder who is transferred to a post of lower salary (and this would include a non-promoted post) has the right to cash conservation for a period of at least three years.

Any members requiring further information should contact the General Secretary. It is helpful to use our info@ssta.org.uk address.

Best wishes

Yours sincerely

Jim Docherty

Depute General Secretary

Colleagues,

There has been a flurry of press speculation in recent weeks concerning proposed changes to pensions, information contained in submissions to the McCormac review and responses to the imposed changes to conditions of service.     This Association only circulates leaflets and advice notes when we know the outcome of any consultation and the final decisions have been made.   In the meantime I will attempt to keep members updated via emails and the website.

Pensions

The Government has stated that pension earned under current conditions will remain and will be paid as final salary pension, based on the final salary.

Members will be aware of Government plans to increase employee contributions from April 2012 by 3%; and to move to an average salary provision for all public service pensions. This is a system which will involve index-linking each annual pension pot, and calculate the worth of the accumulated pot at the end of a teacher’s career. Once the final decision on either of these proposals has been made we will contact members to discuss possible reactions. At present we are undertaking an actuarial review of pension entitlement under the proposed scheme, using data for the last 40 years. We are also involved in a UK wide debate about the proposed changes. Members will be informed of progress and of the outcome of the review. Any decision regarding our response to these proposals will only be made after consultation with members.

McCormac

TESS reported recently on the submission made by LTS to the McCormac review, in which Bernard McLeary recommended reducing the leave year for teachers by 5 days. This Association notes that Mr McLeary is giving up his post as head of LTS and would welcome his return to the class-room. Only then can he speak with gravitas about the tasks undertaken by teachers every day. We note that once again the red herring of ‘promises made in TP21 but not delivered’ has been used as an excuse for what is clearly an attempt to blame teachers for the inadequacies of others. TP21 was never intended to raise attainment but to recognise the hours worked and to make up for the reduction in the value of teacher pay. Attainment has been raised due to the hard work and dedication of Scottish teachers, not as a direct consequence of TP21.

It would appear that promises made by Cosla in their recent agreement with another teaching union were worth less than nothing. Decisions about the length of the working year for teachers would appear to have been made in advance.

SNCT Agreement

This Association is committed to protecting the rights of all teachers in Scotland, whatever type of contract they may hold. To this end we will be actively involved in monitoring the position of members disadvantaged by these unacceptable changes. We are in discussion with our legal team and fully intend to test these decisions at law.

We request that members keep us informed of their position, and in particular of any detriment they suffer.

It is likely that no action will be possible until the new session begins. If you have any concerns about your own position please do not hesitate to contact us. In the meantime we hope you enjoy a relaxing and sunny summer break.

With best wishes

Ann Ballinger

General Secretary

Colleagues,

You may be aware of a report circulating about a document produced by Cosla.   This document is their submission to the McCormac review into Teachers’ pay and conditions and clearly indicates their preferences for the future of our profession.   The document makes very interesting reading and I have highlighted only a few of the points it makes:

• the primary role of a teacher should not be to teach children!!!!
• extension of the teacher year but not the pupil year
• 5 days in service as a block during school closure dates (what value now on the guarantee of 195 working days for teachers?)
• annex B to be removed and replaced with the Standard for Full Registration
• fixed term PT posts to cover specific duties
• end of time and place with teachers forced to remain in school no matter what the circumstances and with no regard for best practice
• 25 hr class contact time in primaries to match pupil day and reduce teacher numbers (what value now on the guarantee of extra posts?)
• 140 hour blocks of contractual time instead of the current 35 hour block
• role for non-teachers in the classroom to be enhanced
• failure to produce record of appropriate CPD referred to GTCS during reaccreditation

The campaign against this attack on teacher professionalism and conditions of service begins now. Further information and advice will be posted on the website. In the meantime please use every opportunity to discuss this with your local politicians and make your views clear.

At present this document is no more than Cosla’s wish list to the McCormac review. The review reports in the summer, when we will know the full extent of the problems we face.

If you wish to read the full document please use this link to a PDF version of the document.

Ann Ballinger

General Secretary

23 May 2011

Dear Colleagues

By now you will be aware of the disgraceful events at the SNCT Teachers’ Side meeting on 28 April, when some teacher representatives surrendered after approximately 12,000 of the 60,000 eligible teachers voted to accept the Cosla proposals.

This Association refused to accept the proposal and gave formal notice that we intend where justified to take legal action on behalf of members.   Of particular concern are the conservation, accrued leave and supply rate issues.   The full text of the statement to the SNCT is available on our website. Our solicitors are ready to advise on every case where detriment is shown to have happened. We will also continue to fight at SNCT level to protect the interests of Scottish teachers.   The full text of the changes to the Handbook of Conditions needed to implement the Cosla package remain to be agreed.     Only then will the full details of the sell-out become apparent.

The sole aim of this Association is to provide the best possible conditions of service for members and, therefore, the best conditions for our pupils. We will continue to pursue this agenda by actively promoting teachers’ rights with the Scottish Government, Cosla, the McCormac Committee and through the press.

It may be cynical to believe that preparations for the implementation of the changes to conditions of service are likely to be published during the summer months but that is exactly what we expect to happen. With that in mind SSTA officials will be available throughout the summer to discuss any issues with members and to support those affected.

Congress meets on May 13 to discuss this and other issues. Decisions made will be sent to members by email and using both the website and Facebook pages during the week commencing 16 May.

Yours sincerely

ANN BALLINGER

General Secretary

9 May 2011