29/04/2010

Scottish Teachers Set To Strike Over Cuts

Scottish schools may be facing the first teacher's strike in over 20 years because of spending cuts.

Life at the chalk-face is forcing the EIS, Scotland's largest teaching union, to consider a one-day stoppage across the country over cuts in school spending, the BBC has reported.

ADES, the non-political body which represents council education bosses, believes schools are experiencing the most serious spending cuts in 30 years.

It said that more cuts are inevitable regardless of which party is in power.

Concern was evident last month when an estimated 10,000 school staff and parents turned out for a protest march organised by the EIS.

Now it has emerged that the union is set to consider a proposed day of action at its annual conference in June, to draw attention to the issue of school finances.

A Scottish government spokesperson said: "The Scottish government has increased education funding, despite pressures from the £500m cut to our budget from the Westminster government and the previous administration's PFI policies - which put a squeeze on education budgets and profits before pupils.

"As a result, councils report that they plan to spend 2.6% more in 2009-10 than they have provisionally reported that they actually spent in 2008-09.

"It is for local authorities to manage and prioritise their own budgets, but we have delivered a budget which protected spending on education, even as our overall budget was cut in real terms by the UK government."

(LB/BMcc)

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