Secondary teachers strike in West Dunbartonshire
staff at 5 schools in the council area are walking off the job in a row about plans to axe posts and amalgamate departments
About 5,000 school pupils in one local authority area have been affected by strike action on Tuesday.
Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) in West Dunbartonshire are striking over restructuring plans which they say will cut the number of senior teaching posts.
The move by the country's largest teaching union has led to the closure of five secondary schools in the region for one day.
The council said it was saddened by the action and apologised to pupils and parents over the disruption caused.
The EIS said the council's plans will reduce the number of depute headteacher posts, cut principal teacher posts from subject departments and cut the number of pastoral care posts in each of the authority's secondary schools.
The union recently balloted its secondary members in West Dunbartonshire on the proposals and said 88% of those voting supported the move to industrial action.
EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said the strike was focused on the "workload implications'' of the proposed changes.
A council spokesman said: "West Dunbartonshire Council would first like to apologise to pupils and parents over the disruption this one-day strike is causing them.
"We would like to reassure them that we are continuing to do everything we can to find solutions that can bring this matter to an end as quickly as possible.
"We are saddened that the EIS is going ahead with its strike.
"We met with senior union officials three days ago to try to avoid the need for strike action and presented a package of nine new measures that would address the issue of workload at our secondary schools.
"We also offered to work with Acas - the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service - to resolve this through negotiation. Unfortunately, EIS was unwilling to postpone the strike action.''