McCormac must pick up where 'McCrone' left off

Ronnie Smith, the canny general secretary of the EIS union, has described the 2001 deal on teachers salaries as "a major exercise in free collective bargaining", a phrase which suggests the outcome of what has become known as the "McCrone" agreement was merely a process of pay bargaining between teachers, local authority employers and the then Scottish Executive.

It was a great deal more significant than that as it brought to an end years of conflict between unions and government by awarding a 23 per cent pay rise, recognising, rightly, that teachers had fallen behind the remuneration levels of other professions.

The problem with "McCrone", as reports by both Audit Scotland and the schools inspectorate have shown, was that after the agreement and the pay rise the evidence of improvements in our schools, measured in terms of attainment at least, was patchy. This led to questions being raised over whether the more than 2 billion the agreement cost was money well spent.

Writing in today's Scotsman, Professor Gavin McCrone recognises the progress made in the ten years since his committee reported, notably and importantly, the peace and stability in our schools. However, important though that is, industrial harmony alone will not equip our children for the modern world.

Prof McCrone points out that, although his name has been attached to the agreement, the then Labour Scottish Executive did not implement all of his proposals. He has particular concerns that the retention of the 35-hour working week in teacher contracts was not intended to be a cap and that there are "disturbing" reports that it is being interpreted as such. We agree many teachers work more than this, but parents will share the concern over the implications of this aspect of the agreement.

He also points to resistance in the teaching profession to continuous professional development, something the Centre for Scottish Public Policy think-tank yesterday said should be addressed by teachers training in one-week long blocks, taken out of their 13 weeks a year holiday entitlement, rather than in odd days through terms, which inconvenience parents. While understanding teachers reluctance to give up their holidays, this seems like a reasonable suggestion.

Finally, Prof McCrone warns that the new investigation into the agreement led by Gerry McCormac, the Principal of Stirling University, should not be a vehicle for saving money as that could undermine progress and result in renewed unrest. It is a warning the Scottish Government, whoever is in power after May, must heed. The new inquiry must both be honest about what "McCrone" has, and has not, achieved, whilst identifying areas where further reform - for example in professional development - is vital for the future. McCrone has passed the baton to McCormac. We trust he will not drop it.