KIDS in Scotland’s biggest city face missing yet more school after teachers called another strike ballot.
Staff in Glasgow will vote on whether to take action including walkout over Glasgow City Council’s move to axe 450 teaching posts from schools over three years.
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Strikes over teachers’ pay and non-teaching staff pay have resulted in school closures across Scotland – including Glasgow – for the past two academic years, with at least nine day’s schooling lost.
But the EIS is urging members to back further industrial action “up to and including strike action, to force the council to scrap its damaging and dangerous proposals”.
The EIS union will ballot members from next week after the council began axing 450 teaching posts following an SNP-Green budget deal – sparking anger from parents groups and unions.
EIS Glasgow local association secretary Jane Gow said 172 posts – the first of the 450 – had already been lost across our primary and secondary schools and as schools returned.
And she said a further 125 staff had been lost throughout the previous session – on top of the 450.
Ms Gow said: “The ill-judged proposal to remove these posts in Glasgow will have significant and damaging effect on Scottish Government’s policy to close the poverty related attainment gap which is widening in front of our eyes.
“Our city contains 35 per cent of Scotland’s children who live in the most deprived areas. These pupils need more targeted teaching and support, more small group learning and more teachers to nurture them towards attainment and achievement, not fewer.
“The loss of 172 teachers at the start of this session with the hammer blow threat of more to go will only ensure that it is our most vulnerable young people and communities who will suffer the most.”
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The ballot will run until October 1 – meaning strikes could take place later that month.
Ms Gow added: “Glasgow EIS urges all of its members to take part in this important ballot, and to use their vote to reject the council’s dangerous proposals.”
In May, First Minister John Swinney refused to say if he’d stop the teacher cuts and the removal of a school support scheme for youngsters who’ve grown up in care.
There are fears that the cuts model could be echoed across Scotland if the country’s biggest city is allowed to slash teacher numbers despite an SNP pledge in 2021 to recruit 3,500 more staff.
There is also anger about the removal of MCR Pathways coordinators from secondary schools, who oversee the mentoring of care-experienced kids.
The Scottish Government has been asked for comment.
