The Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association will ask members if they are prepared to strike over the government’s failure to bring about a promised reduction in class-contact time.
An SSTA survey, under the title “Delivering the 90 minutes and protecting secondary teacher members”, will ask teachers if they are prepared “to take action short of strike action and strike action in resolving the dispute with the employers”.
It will start in the week beginning 16 June and close at the end of August.
Tomorrow, the EIS teaching union will open a consultative industrial action ballot over workload at its annual general meeting in Aviemore later this week.
The 2021 SNP manifesto said that teachers’ weekly class-contact time would be reduced from 22.5 to 21 hours.
Seamus Searson, SSTA general secretary, said: “The reduction of 90 minutes’ class-contact time was promised by the Scottish government four years ago and [local authorities body] Cosla has baulked at every turn to progress the promise.”
Teachers at ‘end of their patience’
He added: “SSTA members have reached the end of their patience and now have no option but to resort to taking strike action to force the employers to implement a real benefit for hard-pressed secondary school teachers. To get to this point shows a lack of respect and understanding by the employers of the challenges teachers are facing to deliver education.”
Peter Brandon, SSTA salaries and conditions of service convener, said: “It has now been four years since the government pledged to reduce teacher class-contact time. Continued delays and lack of meaningful engagement has left the SSTA with little choice but to take further action up to and including strike action”.
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