Scotland’s teachers have found themselves at the heart of a pivotal moment in the nation’s education landscape, as recent developments highlight both progress and persistent challenges. On November 11, 2025, the Teachers’ Panel of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) unanimously voted to accept a new two-year pay deal, bringing a sense of relief after months of uncertainty. Yet, just days later, the largest teaching union in Scotland, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), launched a fresh dispute—this time, over the long-standing issue of class contact time, urging members to consider strike action if promises remain unfulfilled.
The accepted pay deal, tabled by Cosla, the umbrella body representing local authorities, provides a 4% pay increase for the 2025/26 school year, followed by an additional 0.25% in April 2026 and a further 3.25% in August 2026. The agreement, which will be backdated to August 2025, is intended to bring certainty to teachers’ salaries for the next two years. According to BBC, Des Morris, the EIS salaries chairman of the SNCT Teachers’ Panel, described the decision as “a pragmatic decision, which will provide certainty on pay for Scotland’s teachers for a two-year period.”
But the story doesn’t end with this agreement. While the deal was accepted unanimously by the SNCT Teachers’ Panel, which includes teachers’ unions, councils, and the Scottish government, union leaders made it clear that this was not the end of their demands. The panel emphasized the need for more substantial pay rises in future years to fully address what they see as the erosion of teachers’ pay value over time. In the words of the panel, “much more was required in future years to ensure that the erosion in the value of teachers’ pay was fully addressed.”
The context for this decision is important. The new deal follows a previously dismissed pay offer in June 2025, which teachers said fell well below their expectations. That earlier proposal would have given a 2% rise in August and a further 1% rise the following May—numbers that failed to satisfy the unions. The new, more generous offer, which includes the possibility of a re-opener clause for Year 2 to provide inflation protection, was described by EIS as the “best that its negotiators could achieve in the current circumstances.”
Des Morris, speaking on behalf of the SNCT Teachers’ Panel, also pointed to the importance of timely implementation: “It is unfortunate that negotiations on pay have, once again, led to teachers receiving their pay rise late this year. The SNCT Teachers’ Panel urges all local authorities to now display greater alacrity in ensuring that the pay deal is fully implemented, and that teachers receive both their pay rise and all backdated money owed to them, prior to the Christmas break.”
Scottish Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth welcomed the agreement, stating she was “delighted” that teachers had accepted the offer. She highlighted that “Scottish classroom teachers on the main-grade scale continue to be the best paid in the UK.” Gilruth also expressed optimism that many teachers would see their backdated pay award before Christmas. However, she acknowledged the need for improvements in the process, saying, “We should be achieving pay settlements for teachers earlier in the year, so I hope we can use the time this extended pay deal provides to explore how we might improve the process for the future.”
Yet, as one dispute appeared to be resolved, another quickly surfaced. On November 13, 2025, EIS announced the opening of a ballot for its members to vote on potential strike action and action short of a strike, in response to the Scottish Government’s failure to deliver on its 2021 election manifesto pledge. The Scottish National Party (SNP) had promised to reduce weekly class contact time for teachers to 21 hours—a move aimed at reducing workload and improving working conditions. According to DonegalLive.ie, Andrea Bradley, EIS general secretary, was blunt in her assessment: the government has “delivered absolutely nothing.”
From November 13, 2025, until January 14, 2026, EIS members will have the opportunity to cast their votes, with union leadership strongly recommending a ‘yes’ to both strike action and action short of a strike. Bradley made the stakes clear: “In opening this ballot, we are reminding the Scottish Government and Cosla that it is essential that they keep their promises to Scottish education, Scotland’s teachers and Scotland’s learners.” She continued, “It is simply not acceptable for national or local politicians to be elected on the promise of improving education, in this case by tackling teacher workload and employing more teachers, then failing to deliver upon those promises, particularly when issues around teacher workload and precarity of employment are so serious.”
Bradley urged all eligible EIS members to participate, stating, “The EIS executive strongly recommends to members that they should vote yes to strike action and yes to action short of strike. We must send the type of strong and united message that is impossible for the politicians to ignore.” She also noted that the patience of both teachers and the union was “at an end on this issue.”
The Scottish Government, for its part, expressed disappointment over the opening of the ballot but reiterated its commitment to working with teaching unions and Cosla to address the issue. A government spokesperson stated, “Ministers have been clear that reducing class contact will help support the time and space necessary for teachers, to allow them to drive improvement and reform in our schools and improve outcomes for their pupils. We are committed to working with teaching unions and Cosla to agree our approach to delivering a reduction in class contact time at pace. Ministers respect union members’ right to withdraw their labour, but are disappointed that the EIS has taken this action while these constructive discussions are ongoing.”
The timing of this potential industrial action is politically sensitive. Any strike or action short of strike would likely occur before the 2026 Holyrood election, potentially impacting the SNP’s electoral prospects if the dispute remains unresolved. The government’s challenge is now twofold: to ensure that teachers receive their promised pay increases promptly and to demonstrate meaningful progress on reducing class contact time—a pledge that has, so far, gone unfulfilled in the eyes of many educators.
For Scotland’s teachers, the recent developments present a mixed picture. There is the immediate relief of a pay deal that offers some financial security and the possibility of backdated pay before Christmas. But there is also a renewed sense of frustration over unresolved issues that go to the heart of their daily working lives. As the ballot on strike action unfolds, all eyes will be on the Scottish Government and Cosla to see whether they can move swiftly from promises to concrete action. The coming months promise to be a crucial test for both sides—and for the future of Scottish education itself.
