A female prime minister fighting with her own party over Europe. Animal print, leather and neon, the hot fashion trends. Queen and Wham! climbing the charts. It’s no wonder that many people are harking back to the 1980s right now. And teachers, it turns out, are no different.
It’s been revealed that in the current battle over pay, there are plans to mimic the tactics used by teaching unions when Margaret Thatcher was in power.
They’re planning to put the government under pressure by carrying out targeted strike action in seats held by key political figures. Time after time, Scottish teachers have demanded a 10 per cent pay rise, but ministers insist that such a rise is unaffordable, and instead have offered a deal of a 3 per cent rise for all, with further rises dependent on the stage of the teacher’s career.
But teachers have kept the faith, and joined together last month to reject the deal. The unions’ message to their members? Don’t stop believin’. They’re now gearing up for a strike ballot that would bring about a very blue Monday, with schools potentially closing across the country.
But, as we all know, love - sorry, pay negotiation - is a battlefield, and the Herald on Sunday revealed that at a meeting in Edinburgh last month, Larry Flanagan, EIS general secretary, suggested strike action should be targeted at first minister Nicola Sturgeon, education secretary John Swinney and finance chief Derek Mackay. They represent Glasgow Southside, Perthshire North and Renfrewshire North and West respectively.
Another potential target is council ward Annandale North, in Dumfries and Galloway, which is represented by Tory councillor Gail Macgregor, who has led on pay for council umbrella group Cosla.
These plans all form part of the EIS’ campaign “Value Education - Value Teachers”. The union analysed teacher pay in Scotland, and found that it had declined by at least 20 per cent in real terms over the past decade. The research said that when increases in pension contributions and national insurance were taken into account, there had been a real-terms cut of almost 25 per cent in take-home pay.
In practice, the plans could mean industrial action taking place on a national level, followed by localised strikes in seats held by SNP heavyweights.
After all, teachers would rather be living on a fair wage than livin’ on a prayer.
