Recent weeks have seen the agreement of pay settlements for both Scotland’s teachers and the country’s Further Education lecturers. While this year’s pay settlement for teachers was, once again, not delivered in time for the scheduled implementation date of the 1st of August, an agreement was reached in early September. In the FE sector, the agreement that was struck at the start of September marked the end of a two-year campaign for a fair pay settlement, with the delivery of a 4-year deal for Scotland’s college lecturers. Here, the SEJ takes a look back at the events that led to the pay settlements for teachers and lecturers.

Teachers’ pay deal – Timeline

22 January >>>>>>>>>>>>>

Following the submission of this year’s pay claim for Scotland’s teachers through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), the EIS called for good faith negotiations from employers and the Scottish Government and the delivery of a fair agreement by the due settlement date of 1st August.

The pay claim was slightly above the current rate of inflation, and was seen by teaching unions as a modest step towards restoring teachers’ real-terms pay to the levels of 2008 as set out in the Teaching Profession for the 21st Century agreement.

Commenting, Des Morris – EIS Salaries Convener and Teachers’ Side Chair of the SNCT – said, “The Teachers’ Side of the SNCT has submitted a moderate and very reasonable pay claim, and we now call on the employers and the Scottish Government to negotiate in good faith towards settling this pay claim in time for the due settlement date of the 1st of August.”

EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley added, “Following more than a decade of sub-inflation level pay settlements leading to real-terms pay decline, and a protracted pay dispute ahead of the last pay claim finally being settled, we hope that COSLA and the Scottish Government will enter this year’s discussions in good faith and motivated to reach a fair settlement in good time.”

4 June >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Teachers’ Panel of the SNCT unanimously rejected the long-awaited pay offer made by COSLA on 4th June 2024.

In this formal rejection, the Teachers’ Panel was clear that the employers’ pay offer of 2%, from August 2024, followed by a further 1% in May 2025, fell far short of its expectations in relation to the restoration of the value of teachers’ pay.

The Teachers’ Panel, in its rejection of the offer, emphasised to both COSLA and the Scottish Government, the need for timeous and focused negotiations to ensure that a pay settlement, which marks a step forward in addressing the imperative of restoration of Scottish teachers’ pay, could be agreed on time for August implementation.

Commenting, EIS Salaries Convener Des Morris said, “The unanimous rejection of this unsatisfactory offer, by the SNCT Teachers’ Panel, sends a clear message to both COSLA and the Scottish Government. The Teachers’ Panel remains committed to swift negotiations, however, it is imperative that any settlement agreed must mark a step forward in restoring the pay of teachers across Scotland.”

24 June >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Teachers’ Panel of the SNCT met to consider the lack of response from local authority employers, following the failure to acknowledge the Panel’s unanimous rejection of the unacceptable pay offer made at the beginning of June.

The moving of the implementation date for a pay settlement to 1st August 2024 had been previously agreed, at SNCT, by both COSLA and the Scottish Government as part of the previous teachers’ pay settlement.

The Teachers’ Panel expressed its significant concern that the mutually agreed implementation date for a salary uplift for Scottish teachers would now not be met. The Teachers’ Panel urged both COSLA and the Scottish Government to use the summer period wisely and undertake all work required to ensure that Scottish teachers receive an appropriate pay uplift without any further delay.

23 August >>>>>>>>>>>>>

The Teachers’ Panel of the SNCT met to consider the lack of a revised pay offer from local authority employers in the 2024/25 pay negotiations, despite assurances previously given that all efforts were being made to reach a timeous agreement.

Since January, COSLA had only tabled one offer, completely lacking in credibility, that was unanimously rejected by the Teachers’ Panel on 5th June 2024.

The Teachers’ panel warned that any further delay in making a revised offer, which recognised and begins to meaningfully address the real terms decline in the value of teachers’ pay, following the meeting of COSLA Leaders on 30th August 2024 would be completely unacceptable, and the Teachers’ Panel unanimously decided that if no further offer was made by 12 noon on Monday 2nd September, a formal dispute would be declared.

The Teachers’ Panel urged both COSLA and the Scottish Government to avoid this escalation by undertaking all work necessary to table a credible pay offer for Scottish teachers without delay.

3 September >>>>>>>>>>>>

A new pay offer, received the previous day from local authority employers, was discussed at a special meeting of the EIS Salaries Committee.

The EIS subsequently announced that it had decided to recommend acceptance of the new, improved pay offer of 4.27% to Scotland’s teachers. The offer was for a one-year deal covering the period August 2024 – July 2025 (inclusive).

Commenting, EIS Salaries Convener Des Morris said, “Following discussion, the members of the Salaries Committee agreed unanimously to recommend acceptance of this offer to members. We will open a consultative ballot of our members, with a recommendation that they should vote to accept the improved 4.27% pay offer from employers.”

EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “The collective view of the Salaries Committee was that the current offer proposes a pay increase for teachers that is above both CPI and RPI rates of inflation and, crucially, marks a first step in the restoration of teachers’ pay to the equivalent of pre-austerity levels.
“The offer is also undifferentiated, offering a 4.27% pay increase for teachers at all grades and at all scale points. It is for all of these reasons that the EIS has agreed to recommend acceptance of the offer.”

11 September >>>>>>>>>>>

The EIS announced that its teacher members had voted overwhelmingly in favour of accepting the 4.27% pay offer across all grades from employers for the year 2024-2025.

95% of members voted in favour of accepting the offer, with 5% voting against. Turnout in the week-long online ballot was 65%.

Commenting, following the ballot result, the Convener of the EIS Salaries Committee, Des Morris, said, “Following months of negotiations, employers tabled an improved 4.27% pay offer to all teachers. Our members weighed up the offer, and have voted overwhelmingly to agree with the recommendation of the Salaries Committee in that the offer should be accepted.”

EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley added, “EIS members have voted decisively to accept the 4.27% pay offer. The offer is above both the CPI and RPI measures of inflation, is undifferentiated across all pay grades, and marks an important first step on the road towards restoring the real-terms pay of Scotland’s teachers to pre-austerity levels.”

“This offer, which was achieved without the need to declare a dispute or engage in any form of industrial action, will provide some welcome pay stability for our members over the coming year.”

13 September >>>>>>>>>>>

The Teachers’ Panel of the SNCT formally agreed to accept the pay offer of 4.27% from COSLA.

In accepting this offer, the Teachers’ Panel welcomed its undifferentiated nature and the stated recognition of the Employers’ Side of the SNCT that the offer marks the first step towards the restoration of teacher salaries in Scotland.

The Teachers’ Panel stated that it looked forward to working with employers and the Scottish Government on the creation of a ‘roadmap’ to restoration in the value of teachers’ pay to pre-austerity levels, across all career stages and salary levels.

The Teachers’ Panel remains committed to achieving meaningful progress towards solutions to the other challenges facing Scottish teachers. Not least of these is urgently reducing unsustainable levels of workload, which can begin to be addressed through the realisation of the Scottish Government’s manifesto commitment to decrease class contact time to 21 hours per week.