Revealed: Fears for Scottish children as strikes cost schools nearly 200,000 staff days in 18 months

SNP ministers are under pressure to act to protect children from the impact of fresh strike action after it emerged close to 200,000 school staff days have already been lost to industrial action in just 18 months.

Fears are growing that schools and nurseries across Scotland could be forced to close their doors again in September, just weeks after the summer holidays.

Unison revealed this week it was balloting 38,000 janitors, cleaners and catering staff, in what could become a repeat of strikes by non-teaching staff last autumn.

Teachers themselves walked out over pay for the first time in four decades in 2022/23, and talks over their latest settlement have stalled.

Freedom of information requests submitted by the Scottish Liberal Democrats to local councils have now revealed that more than 155,000 school staff days were lost to strikes across Scotland in 2022/23, and another 42,000 between April and October last year.

The disruption follows the closure of schools over extended periods in 2020 and 2021 during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has been linked to an increase in anxiety levels among young people, delays in the development of speech and language skills, a worsening of behaviour and lower attendance rates.

Mr Rennie said: “No teacher wants to go out on strike. They are passionate about teaching and want to be in school, shaping young minds. However they can only be pushed so far.

“These figures represent weeks of education missed by children across Scotland.

“The education secretary needs to rebuild relations with trade unions and local authorities. That starts with a fair settlement for local government in this year’s budget.

“Education is half of what local authorities do but years of Scottish Government cuts have left them unable to plan for the future.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see teachers and school staff properly valued and local government finance reformed so that local authorities have more flexibility and do not have to depend on a fickle SNP government who threaten to cut their budgets every year.”

Unison said council umbrella body Cosla had made a two-stage offer, which would operate over an 18-month period. This would give a 2.2 per cent increase for the first six months and an additional 2 per cent for the subsequent 12 months, until September next year.

David O’Connor, Unison’s lead for local government, said: “No one wants to take strike action. It’s always a last resort.

“Cosla’s proposal falls short of Unison’s pay claim. It’s also less than the offer made to the lowest-paid local government staff south of the border.

“Workers are simply asking for a pay deal that addresses below-inflation pay settlements, which have reduced the value of staff wages by a quarter over the past 14 years. Council workers deserve to be paid wages reflecting their essential roles.”

On Friday, a spokesperson for Cosla said: “Cosla has made a strong offer at the limits of affordability for councils.

“This was reiterated by council leaders at their meeting at the end of June. In the context of lowering inflation and a ‘flat cash’ budget settlement for public services it remains important to reward our valued workforce appropriately. 

“We are disappointed that Unison is extending the threat of industrial action to schools and nurseries. Action targeted at children and young people in the shadow of the Covid pandemic is deeply regrettable and will impact directly on families still struggling to cope after two years of austerity.”

The spokesperson added: “It remains the reality that public sector pay depends on the funding for the public sector more generally. A higher offer could only be funded through a greater tax burden or cuts to services and jobs. 

“In the absence of additional funding, and the clear messaging from all political parties in the recent UK elections about the financial constraints the country is experiencing, we urge realism from our unions about what can be delivered in terms of pay uplifts.  

“We respectfully request that our unions reconsider our current pay offer in the context of the financial landscape and that they suspend the threat of industrial action.”

Unison’s ballot is part of a wider dispute involving all non-teaching council workers in Scotland.

Bin collectors from both the GMB and Unite unions have voted for strike action after rejecting a pay offer, threatening a repeat of scenes which saw rubbish pile up during the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022. The Lib Dem figures show that more than 216,000 full-time equivalent council worker days have been lost since April 2022, if you include both school staff and non-school staff.

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Pay negotiations for local government staff, other than teachers, are a matter for local authorities as employers and trade unions – the Scottish Government has no formal role.

“While we respect workers’ rights, no one’s interests are served by industrial action, which will harm young people’s learning and the wider community. The Scottish Government is urging all parties involved to work together constructively and reach an agreement which is fair for the workforce and affordable for employers.

“Ministers value the teaching profession, which is why Scotland has the most teachers per pupil and the highest paid classroom teachers in the UK. The Scottish Government will continue to play its role in teacher pay negotiations through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers.”