The Scottish Government has confirmed a fifth offer to teacher has been made and considered by COSLA at a late afternoon meeting.
Most teachers will receive a rise in salaries of 11.5% in April if the new pay offer is accepted.
The deal – the fifth offered to teaching unions – means an overall increase of more than £5,000 over two years for the 70% of classroom teachers who are at the top of their main grade pay scale.
The government says it would amount to a cumulative rise of almost 30% for most teachers since January 2018 and would bring the starting salary for a fully qualified teacher – already the highest in the UK – to £37,719 after probation.
The revised offer, agreed by the Scottish Government and COSLA, is:
2022-23
- 6% for all staff earning up to £80,000 from 1 April 2022
- £4,800 for all those earning in excess of £80,000
2023-24
- 5.5% for all staff earning up to £80,000 from 1 April 2023
- £4,400 for all those earning in excess of £80,000
Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Teachers make an invaluable contribution to the lives of our children and young people. This significant offer, if accepted by unions, would see teacher pay increase by almost 30% since January 2018.
“While union demands for an in-year 10% increase are unaffordable within the Scottish Government’s fixed budget, we have looked for compromise and we have arrived at a deal that is fair, affordable, and sustainable for everyone involved.
“The Scottish Government is supporting this new offer with additional funding of £156 million. This is on top of the £50 million that we have already provided to local authorities in support of an enhanced pay offer for teachers.
“The offer is being made at a time of extraordinary financial pressure on The Scottish Government budget. Difficult decisions will have to be made to free up the required resources. This reflects our commitment to reach a fair agreement and avoid further disruption to children and young people’s education.
“I have written to the unions asking that their members are given the opportunity to consider this new offer, which is the fifth to be tabled. While they do so, I have asked that they suspend any planned industrial action. This would minimise any further disruption to learning, particularly in the run up to the SQA exam diet.”
COSLA’s Resources Spokesperson Councillor Katie Hagmann said: “Given the funding assurances received from The Scottish Government, Leaders have agreed to submit a revised offer to the Trade Unions tonight.
“COSLA Leaders are clear that it is in all of our interests, not least those of children, young people and families, to conclude the teachers’ pay negotiations as quickly as we can to bring back stability and certainty in our schools.
“We are determined to provide a fair and affordable pay offer to all our employees, including teachers. In that regard, following today’s meeting Leaders agreed to mandate me to take a refreshed offer to the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) and we hope that this is acceptable to them.”
We met the Cabinet Secretary earlier today and asked what the current offer was.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
