Scotland’s council leaders have today (Friday) voted in favour of offering a revised pay offer to the teaching workforce at a COSLA meeting in East Lothian.

COSLA Resources Spokesperson, Councillor Gail Macgregor said:

“I am pleased that council leaders have today reached a pay agreement with Scotland’s teachers and avoided the threat of industrial action.

“Council leaders are rightly seeking confirmation there is no detriment to the position of probationary teachers in respect of the two additional in-service days.

“Our deal represents a significant investment from Local Government in our valued workforce. This has been a very difficult round of pay negotiations with a challenging Local Government settlement.

“In recognition of the recruitment and retention challenges in the teaching workforce, the Scottish Government has agreed to a policy investment of 4% for teachers from April 2019.

“There are a number of educational measures that the Scottish Government set out in their letter which council leaders wish to consider further in the context of agreed joint education reform. Positive outcomes for our children must be at the root of all our decision making.

“We now look forward to working with the trade unions and addressing the challenges that face Local Government by maintaining first class essential services in communities across Scotland.”