Strike Continues For Teachers
Teachers and Council fail to reach an agreement on new management structure.
Teachers go on strike for the third time as the latest council proposal is rejected in West Dunbartonshire.
Industrial action organised by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) will continue on Wednesday 30, Thursday 31 March, as well as Tuesday 26 and Wednesday 27 April.
The EIS had suspended all strikes until a new proposal from the council was decided on, but failed to settle the dispute.
The teachers voted two to one against the most recent proposal from West Dunbartonshire Council. They say it will add to their workload and reduce the quality of teaching.
The council proposed a new management restructure which would change principal teachers into faculty heads.
Speaking at a strike rally today, Larry Flanagan, General Secretary EIS said: “We are willing to talk to the council any time any place to try negotiate a settlement for this dispute.
“We don’t even want to move into the two days of action post-holiday period, we would rather have a settlement.
“In terms of continuing action into May, It would be a major mistake on the part of the council to try and impose a management structure on a staff who don’t welcome it and don’t support it.”
A council spokeswoman said: "Following months of negotiations, proposals were jointly developed with the EIS to address all of the points the union raised in relation to the new management structure.
"We believed this compromise, which would have introduced an additional 18 principal teachers and two centrally-deployed staff, would bring the dispute to a positive end for the benefit of our young people, parents and staff."
She added: "More than 50 per cent of our secondary school staff have not supported this strike action. We urge the EIS to reconsider the significant compromise that has been offered."
Some secondary schools in Glasgow currently operate under the proposed structure.