Scottish Teachers Strike For First Time In Almost 40 Years To Demand 10% Pay Rise -Reports

Teachers in Scotland on Thursday went on their first national strike in nearly 40 years to demand a 10% wage increase, which led to the closure of nearly all schools, British media reported

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th November, 2022) Teachers in Scotland on Thursday went on their first national strike in nearly 40 years to demand a 10% wage increase, which led to the closure of nearly all schools, British media reported.

According to the Guardian newspaper, the one-day industrial action by members of Scotland's largest teachers' union, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), was launched after the Scottish authorities rejected the union's demand for a 10 % pay rise and proposed "cynical" increase of up to 6.85 %, which, in turn, was rejected by the EIS.

According to the EIS, the teachers will also strike on January 10 and January 11.

The media added that in England, the two largest teaching unions, the National education Union and the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers, are also considering launching a strike following the government's failure to improve its 5% payrise offer.

Worker strikes have become more frequent in the UK, in parallel with soaring inflation, which reached a record 11.1% in October. Ex-Prime Minister Liz Truss' failure to curb growing prices and eliminate the budget deficit caused her to resign last month. Her successor Rishi Sunak's government has presented a mid-term financial plan and is counting on tax hikes and cuts in public spending to stabilize the economy.