Falkirk Council confirms schools will close as teachers prepare to strike over pay

Falkirk Council has informed parents that all schools – including Additional Support Needs schools – will be closed next week on this date due to a significant reduction in staffing levels within schools. However, all council-run Early Learning and Childcare Centres will remain open to children on November 24.

A payment will be made for those children and young people entitled to a free school meal.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) – Scotland’s largest teachers’ union – says that members overwhelmingly rejected a below-inflation offer of five per cent, with 96 per cent of members voting in favour of strike action on a turnout of 71 per cent.

The union, which represents eight out of ten Scottish teachers, said members “have had enough of waiting” for an acceptable offer from Cosla and the Scottish Government. Another union, the Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland (AHDS), will also strike on the same day if no agreement is reached before then.

Colin Finlay of Falkirk EIS says that the support for action across the district is also very strong. He said: “No-one is going to give us a pay rise to match inflation – we have to fight for it. The cost of living crisis is affecting everyone. I don’t think there is a single member of the EIS that isn’t feeling it in some way.”

He said that teachers, like everyone, have been noticing a huge difference in the cost of living, including the price of food, over recent months, adding: “I think fuel is a big issue too – not all Falkirk teachers live in Falkirk and if you are travelling five days a week it adds up to a considerable amount.”

Mr Finlay said that he was also hearing from lots of members – particularly primary school teachers – that they are also providing food and snacks for children whose families are clearly struggling. He said: “Not only are they having to feed themselves and their families they feel obligated to help pupils and support their families because that’s the caring nature of the job.

“They are also bringing in resources, buying their own pencils and pens for the classroom and it’s not sustainable – we’re almost in 2023 and we’re harking back to a Victorian model.”

Mr Finlay, who is the local association secretary, also says that many teachers in Falkirk are young and in the early stages of their career and they are worried about the rising cost of mortgages.

He said: “This action is about the fact that the end of the month, people are struggling. I don’t get any sense that this is about politics – people are genuinely struggling at the end of the month. I think we’re getting public sympathy because everyone is struggling now. It’s not just teachers – everyone is struggling and I think that’s why we are getting support.

“Various politicians will try and use it as leverage but if you’re a parent you want the best education for your child and if you want the best education you want the best teachers. There is a real danger in the years ahead that really good teachers, who want to be really good teachers, can’t afford to do that and will look at other professions.”

The director of Falkirk Council’s children’s services, Robert Naylor, said: “I appreciate that the industrial action will cause significant disruption to the learning of our children and young people and that families will have to make alternative arrangements for childcare during these days. I am sorry for the inconvenience this will cause.

“While the council has been formally notified by these trade unions of their intention to strike, there is also the possibility that through ongoing negotiations at a national level that the strike may not take place. However, at this stage, our advice is to have alternative childcare arrangements in place for November 24.”