Teachers' strike a 'necessary move' as all Highland Council schools are closed
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A Caithness teacher taking part in today's strike action has described it as "a necessary move".
All schools in the Highland Council area are shut as a result of a planned strike called by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the country’s largest teaching union.
It is part of 16 days of rolling strike action affecting each of the country's 32 local authority areas.
Teachers want a 10 per cent pay rise but the Scottish Government has previously insisted this is unaffordable.
Chris Aitken, a computing science teacher at Wick High School, said: "These strikes will continue until at the very least a new offer is made by the Scottish Government.
"Believe me, teachers do not want to be taking this action, especially at such an important time in our pupils' education. But we feel it is a necessary move – not just to right the real-terms pay cut but to ensure that teaching is once again a financially attractive career path for graduates."
A Highland Council spokesperson confirmed that all its schools are closed today.
Union members are taking the action because they want an improved pay deal from the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA).
The EIS council has condemned both the Scottish Government and COSLA for what it says is their continuing pretence that "meaningful" and "constructive" talks have been ongoing on teachers' pay.
Unions have rejected a pay offer which would see most teachers receive a five per cent wage rise – although the lowest earners would get an increase of 6.85 per cent.
There will be two days of national strike action on Tuesday, February 28, and Wednesday, March 1, which will be followed by a further period of rolling action between March 13 and April 21.
COSLA's Katie Hagmann said earlier this month: “Strikes in education are in nobody’s interest and all parties are eager to seek a resolution that not only protects the teaching and wider local government workforce, but also our children and young people’s educational experience."
