Warning over McCrone deal on teachers' pay

Published on Thursday 4 November 2010 18:15

Councils could be forced to back a "review of the McCrone agreement" on teachers' pay and conditions as part of the deal for freezing the council tax, according to Cosla.

The agreement, proposed by Professor Gavin McCrone's review team and introduced in 2001, was designed to ensure teachers did not work more than a 35-hour week. However, if the terms of the deal set out in the Cosla document were agreed, the McCrone package could be ripped up.

Under the proposal, the SNP government would "require local government to enter into a review of the McCrone agreement for teachers".

Scottish Secondary Teachers Association general secretary Ann Ballinger said that many teachers took on work over and above the 35 hours set out in the agreement and claimed that scrapping it would "weaken" the position of many in the profession. She went on: "Cosla may find that some teachers say they will only work the 35 hours if they go ahead with this.

"The vast majority of teachers currently work at least 45 hours, and to put more pressure on them would be wrong.

"Changing the conditions of service for teachers would be something that would weaken the position of staff even further."