Schools in Scotland close amid teachers strike
Teachers that work in Scottish areas represented by politicians are striking to argue over pay.
Schools closed for three days for today, and they are planning to repeat the same strike action next month.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said that this is “indefensible” with EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley responding: “What is indefensible is the chronic under-funding of education over many years, including teachers’ pay.
“It is also indefensible that teachers have been compelled by a Government that claims a commitment to fair work to take a fourth day of strike action in pursuit of a fair pay settlement.
“Schools have been starved of funding and resources, and the number of teachers and support staff employed across Scotland has declined – placing ever more pressure on already overburdened teachers.
“Teachers have been subject to many years of real-terms pay erosion, and this has been brought to a head by the current cost-of-living crisis with RPI inflation hitting more than 14%.
“The Scottish Government was given ample warning that teachers would expect a fair pay increase this year, but have dragged the process out for more than a year with little progress towards a fair deal.”
