Category: Information for Members

An Improved Pay Offer BUT STILL Not Enough

The SNCT Extended Joint Chairs (COSLA, Scottish Government, SSTA and EIS) met on 18 August and COSLA made a pay offer of 3.5%. The Teachers’ Side (SSTA and EIS) made clear that this offer was totally unacceptable and must be improved. COSLA then made a further offer of 5% the following day.
 
The SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee met on 24 August to consider the 5% pay offer and took the view to accept the latest offer would equate to a pay cut with inflation running beyond 10%. The Committee decided to ask SSTA school representatives to conduct an opinion survey of members to gauge their response to the 5% pay offer.
 
Paul Cochrane SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Convenor said
 
“COSLA demonstrated how much they value teachers in by offering 3.5% when 5% funding was available.
 
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers supported the vulnerable, upskilled themselves at their own cost and offered on site, off site and hybrid learning experiences for young people living through the trauma of a mass infection event. The mental and physical health of many teachers was damaged – some long term and some permanently. 
 
Teachers have earned the respect of their communities. What they don’t seem to have earned is the respect of their employers. Teachers deserve fair pay. 5% is not enough”. 
 
The SSTA together with sister teacher unions are now preparing a consultative ballot on the pay offer and the willingness of members to participate in industrial action in September.
 

 
The View of Members – Opinion Survey

In preparation for the next stage of the SSTA campaign the Committee has agreed to conduct an opinion survey of members on the employers 5% pay offer from April 2022

The Committee is recommending that school representatives hold a meeting of members in schools to discuss the proposal and report the views of members back to SSTA Head Office.
 
School Representatives will receive an e-mail invitation for the survey by Tuesday 30 August. If you do not receive this invitation, please contact the SSTA Office at info@ssta.org.uk

This opinion survey is to be conducted through SSTA School Representatives. The opinion survey will close on Tuesday 13 September.

Should your school not have a School Representative members should elect a rep and inform the SSTA Office. Information on the duties of a School Representative can be found here
 

Members Details

We are reaching the final stage of negotiation and we need to be ready to conduct a formal ballot of members. It is essential that we have accurate postal addresses and preferred email addresses to ensure members views are recorded. Members can notify us of any changes to their details by completing a form at www.ssta.org.uk/updatedetails.


If you have submitted an update of details in the past few days which is not reflected above, there is no need to resubmit these details.

The post Congress, July 2022 Newsletter is now available for members to download.

SSTA Newsletter – July 2022

The newsletter contains information on the SSTA 77th Annual Congress, including:

• Presidential Address from Catherine Nicol;
• Report of the General Secretary from Seamus Searson;
• Guest Speech from Professor Ken Muir;
• Motions passed at Congress;
• Financial statement to members.

No Improved Pay Offer for 2022-2023

The Extended Joint Chairs of the SNCT (COSLA, Scottish Government, SSTA and EIS) met on Wednesday 18 May to receive a pay offer from the employers for 2022-2023. The 2% undifferentiated increase on all SNCT pay points effective from 1 April 2022 was rejected by the SNCT teachers’ side negotiators.
 
The employers promised a revised pay offer within a couple of weeks, after the Scottish Government’s Resource Spending Review announcement on 31 May 2022. No new pay offer has been made. As we approach the end of term there is little likelihood of an improved offer until the start of the new session. The SNCT teachers’ side met last week and agreed to send a letter to convey the anger and frustration over the failure of COSLA to make an improved pay offer. View the letter to COSLA.

At the SNCT Teachers’ Side meeting the teacher unions in Scotland have committed to move forward together to achieve the SNCT Teacher Side pay claim of 10% . This will undoubtably mean ballots for industrial action in the Autumn unless the employers and the Scottish Government take teachers seriously and move quickly to pay teachers what they deserve.

Invest in Education – Invest in Teachers – 10% NOW

“The Behaviour of COSLA and the Government towards Teachers could have generational consequences.”

The SNCT is the body that regularly brings Teachers, Councils and the Scottish Government together to discuss pay and conditions. The date for the Annual General Meeting was agreed a year ago for Tuesday 21 June 2022. This meeting was critical to ensure changes to conditions of service were agreed and to seek a way forward in agreeing a pay deal.
 
Last week, COSLA belatedly intimated that they didn’t feel ready for the AGM. The Scottish Government hastily agreed to a postponement. Over the last few years, the excuses have ranged from “there is an election coming” to “we’ve just had an election”. Frankly, the impression given is “we just can’t be bothered.”
 
The Teachers’ Side decided to meet separately as the issues at stake are approaching a tipping point. The Teachers’ side expressed anger at the dismissive nature of the behaviour of COSLA and the Scottish Government.
 
This behaviour by those who employ and fund teachers tells us that we are not a priority. With major change on the horizon, teachers are being treated like minor players.
 
After a deliberate decade of austerity, we have teachers regularly taking money away from family budgets to pay for food, equipment and even clothing for their pupils. 
 
It now seems to be a deliberate strategy that COSLA and the Scottish Government have decided that this level of goodwill and commitment means teachers’ compassionate nature identifies them as soft target for cuts. 
 
Teachers, essential workers during a worldwide pandemic, are only incidental employees who deserve a pay cut and a massive loss in living standards when the danger has subsided. The SSTA are committed to fighting this. 
 
The Attainment Challenge exhorts us all to ‘ensure that everyone is encouraged to be the best that they can be.’ This is not a philosophy that extends to teachers from their employers. It is not a lived value by neither COSLA nor the Scottish Government.
 
We challenge COSLA and the Scottish Government to change course immediately, otherwise the generational consequences that follow will be their responsibility.”

 
Paul Cochrane, Convener SSTA Salaries and Conditions of Service Committee

The School Teachers’ Contract and Time

All teachers, including Headteachers, have a legally binding contract of employment that has been agreed at the SNCT. The contract for a 35-hour week must be adhered to and is not optional. All teachers have the legal right not to exceed the maximum and it is unlawful for a teacher to be asked to work beyond the limit.
 
The 35-hour week consists of

• Assigned classes and cover for absent colleagues – maximum of 22.5 hours per week
• Preparation and correction – allocation of 7.5 hours
• Collegiate Time (other activities) – remaining 5 hours a week – allocation to duties determined by the school’s Working Time Agreement

 
Further information and guidance on Collegiate activities.
 

Invest in Education – Invest in Teachers – 10% NOW

Teacher Unions reject 2% Pay Offer from the Employers

The Extended Joint Chairs of the SNCT (COSLA, Scottish Government, SSTA and EIS) met on Wednesday 18 May to receive a pay offer from the employers in response to the SNCT Teachers’ Side pay claim of 10% for 2022-2023.

The 2% undifferentiated increase on all SNCT pay points effective from 1 April 2022 was rejected by the SNCT teachers’ side negotiators as it did not come close to an offer that would be acceptable.
 
The SNCT teachers’ side said that a much improved and reasonable pay offer, one that reflects the level of inflation and its ongoing impact of the cost of living, should be made without delay. The Teachers’ side made a commitment to continue negotiation on our current pay claim and urges COSLA to make an improved offer as soon as possible.
 
The employers said that it would not be in a position to provide a new offer until after the Scottish Government’s Resource Spending Review announcement on 31 May 2022. The issue of the unacceptable delays in reaching an agreement and the impact that has on members was covered in depth with reference to last year’s prolonged process.

 Invest in Education – Invest in Teachers – 10% NOW

 

77^th Annual Congress of the SSTA
 The 77th Annual Congress of the SSTA took place on Friday 13 May and Saturday 14^th May 2002. The Congress was a hybrid event with most delegates attending in person whilst some attended virtually.

The Congress included an address from Catherine Nicol, SSTA President, the Report of the SSTA General Secretary Seamus Searson, guest speaker Professor Ken Muir, together with a number of policy motions adopted by the Association.

You can view the Presidential Address, Report of the General Secretary and Professor Muir’s guest speech, along with details of all the motions passed at Congress on the SSTA website at www.ssta.org.uk/congress-2022/

Statement from the British And Irish Group Of Teacher Unions

Work overload negatively affecting wellbeing in education systems

Following the first in-person meeting of Presidents and General Secretaries from the ten education unions within the British and Irish Group of Teacher Unions (BIGTU), the group has called on policy makers within their jurisdictions to prioritise the tackling of teacher workload and the promotion of practitioner wellbeing within schools, colleges and universities

View the full text of the BIGTU statement

SSTA School Rep Training
 

The SSTA has arranged a virtual School Representative Training session. The reps training will take place on Tuesday 14 June and will be repeated on Wednesday 15 June between 4.00 and 6.00pm. All reps are encouraged to attend to get the latest updates on pay and workload. 
 
To book a place on the Reps training please select the Tuesday 14 June   or Wednesday 15 June.
 
No School Rep. If your school does not have rep, please call a meeting of members and elect a new rep (The position can also be shared if necessary).
 
If you would like to find out more information about being a school rep please contact SSTA Head Office at info@ssta.org.uk or if you wish register for the training session to find out a little more.

 
Yours sincerely

Seamus Searson
General Secretary

Work overload negatively affecting wellbeing in education systems

Following the first in-person meeting of Presidents and General Secretaries from the ten education unions within the British and Irish Group of Teacher Unions (BIGTU), the group has called on policy makers within their jurisdictions to prioritise the tackling of teacher workload and the promotion of practitioner wellbeing within schools, colleges and universities.

Teachers and lecturers are increasingly expected to work long hours each week. There is mounting concern amongst education unions and the wider education community, about the impact that this is having upon the work-life balance of education workers and on their general well-being. The unions believe that the long and stressful working hours associated with teaching are causing a recruitment and retention crisis in the profession.

Educators in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland spend an inordinate amount of time on burdensome non-teaching tasks involving paperwork such as tracking, audits and form filling which have little direct effect upon the quality of learning and teaching yet negatively impact upon the quality of working life. Increasing workload and longer working hours are resulting in low levels of teacher well-being and morale.

There are two clear areas where reducing teachers’ workload would help reduce stress: excessive summative assessment and unhelpful external audit and inspection processes. Policymakers should ensure that examination, curriculum and inspection reforms are designed to decrease workload as all of these factors have the capacity to create additional work for teachers.

BIGTU calls on the Departments of Education on these islands to redouble their efforts to reduce teacher stress by reducing the amount of paperwork teachers and lecturers are required to handle. The group believes that such an initiative would have a positive impact on student learning. BIGTU Chairperson Larry Flanagan stated: “Teachers’ and lecturers’ time is finite. If we want the very best for our students, we need to allow teachers to focus on activities that have the greatest effect on student learning and wellbeing. By reducing workload in areas with little evidence of impact, we can realign teachers’ working lives with their moral purpose and improve both teacher wellbeing and the student experience.”

Signed by:
Larry Flanagan, General Secretary, Education Institute of Scotland (EIS), Chairperson BIGTU
John Boyle, General Secretary, Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO), Secretary, BIGTU
Dr Mary Bousted and Kevin Courtney Joint General Secretaries, National Education Union (NEU)
Jo Grady, General Secretary, University and College Union (UCU)
Jacquie White, General Secretary, Ulster Teachers’ Union (UTU)
Kieran Christie, General Secretary, Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI)
Frank Jones, General Secretary, Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT)
Dr Patrick Roach, General Secretary, NASUWT
Seamus Searson, General Secretary, Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA)
Michael Gillespie, General Secretary, Teachers’ Union of Ireland (TUI)

9 May 2022

BRITISH AND IRISH GROUP OF TEACHERS’ UNIONS

Chairperson: Larry Flanagan, EIS

Secretary: John Boyle, INTO, Vere Foster House, 35 Parnell Square, Dublin 1, Ireland Telephone 00353 1 8047700 9 May 2022