At a meeting in Edinburgh today, (Friday), Scotland’s Council Leaders agreed to support a Scottish Government Policy Intervention in acknowledgement of recruitment and retention of teachers as an additional part of the pay offer.

This Scottish Government ‘Top-up’ adds additional further resource to the already substantive pay offer from COSLA of 3% in each of the three years up to March 2021.

Commenting following the meeting Councillor Gail Macgregor said: “I am pleased that Council Leaders have today agreed to present a revised proposal incorporating the additional monies made available by the Scottish Government to the teaching unions.

The offer we are now making is essentially in two parts:

Part One

• 2018/19 – 3% pay increase for all SNCT grades will apply, up to a cap of £80,000. At or above this figure a flat rate increase of £1,600 will apply.
• 2019/20 – 3% increase will apply uniformly across all SNCT posts governed by the terms and conditions of the SNCT (no cap).
• 2020/21 – 3% pay increase will apply across all SNCT posts governed by the terms and conditions of the SNCT (no cap).

Part Two

In recognition of well-understood recruitment and retention challenges in Scottish schools, COSLA has agreed to support the Scottish Government’s policy interventions to restructure the Teachers Main Grade Scale and revalue the salary scales for promoted posts in 2018/19.

Councillor Macgregor concluded: “We understand that the Teachers Unions will now present this revised and enhanced offer to their members and we would strongly encourage its acceptance.”