I don’t hold any position within the Educational Institute of Scotland, but I am a long-serving teacher who has been a member of the union for my entire career, which I hope will continue for many more years.

By now most teachers, and perhaps even most of Scotland, will understand the agenda being pursued by the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. Its submission to the McCormac review of teacher employment was openly anti-teacher, anti-teaching and anti-education. What it showed was an arrogance and belief that they could sort teachers out and end the notion that teaching was and is a profession.

It may have been opportunism on Cosla’s part to try and breed internal dispute in the teaching unions pre- McCormac.

I would like to think that my colleagues - other teachers - have not been taken in by this agenda and that they see the threat that might come to education and teachers’ salaries and conditions through McCormac.

Rather than being caught up in debates about blame, I hope they are now ready to take an active part in any debates, arguments or campaigns that come from McCormac.

The only effective way to resist any attacks on salaries and conditions in the next few months will be through the EIS. It has the numbers and the organisation to mount a campaign if need be. The more active the EIS members are (and I include myself in that), the more effective the resistance will be - if there needs to be resistance of course.

McCormac may come forward with sensible suggestions - after all, Cosla’s credibility is pretty low after it relegated teaching and learning to minor functions. So a sensible McCormac review could disregard the Cosla agenda.

Ian McCrone, Renfrewshire EIS.