Primary schools shut as teachers strike in pay dispute
Last-ditch talks failed to prevent the walk-outs
School pupils will miss lessons this week as teachers walk out after last-ditch talks between Scottish Government officials and teaching unions failed to prevent strike action.
Teaching union members at Scottish primary schools are on strike on Tuesday, while staff at secondary schools will walk out on Wednesday in a dispute over pay.
A meeting of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), which brings together unions, local authorities and the Scottish Government, took place on Monday in an attempt to avert the strikes.
Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), NASUWT, Scottish Secondary Teachers' Association (SSTA) and Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland (AHDS) are now taking strike action.
The action this week comes after SSTA and NASUWT members took two days of strike action in December while EIS members walked out on November 24.
Discussions were previously held on Friday, which Scotland's Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville described as "constructive and helpful".
She had previously urged union members to "reconsider their plans for industrial action while talks are ongoing".
However unions said if there was no new offer then strike action would go ahead.
The current offer would see most staff in classrooms receive a 5% pay rise, although the lowest-earning teachers would get a 6.85% increase.
Unions have demanded a 10% increase.
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