EIS urges teachers to grasp last chance to vote in teacher workload ballot

The EIS has urged Scotland’s teachers to grasp their last chance to vote in the current statutory industrial action ballot on teacher workload, which closes on Wednesday of next week.

With growing concern over the pace of postal deliveries across the country, the EIS is urging all teachers who are eligible to vote to complete and return their ballot papers today to ensure that their vote counts and their voice is heard.

Commenting, EIS General Secretary Andrea Bradley said, “This is a hugely important ballot, and an opportunity for Scotland’s teachers to use their collective voice and demand that their excessive workload be tackled and additional teachers recruited. I would urge every single teacher who is eligible to vote to complete and return their postal ballot paper today, if they have not done so already. With concerns over the delivery time of letters at the current time, which are so acute that bosses at Royal Mail have been summoned to give evidence to Parliament, it is essential that ballot papers are posted as soon as possible so that they arrive before the ballot closes on Wednesday.”

Ms Bradley continued, “Teacher workload remains excessively high across Scotland, where teachers are working in some of the largest class sizes and with amongst the highest level of class-teaching commitment of any country in the OECD. Five years ago, the current Scottish Government made a manifesto pledge to tackle teacher workload by recruiting 3,500 additional teachers and by reducing teachers’ maximum class contact commitment by 1.5 hours per week. We are still waiting for any tangible progress towards delivery of those commitments, while teachers remain hugely overworked and while many thousands of newly and recently qualified teachers continue to seek secure, permanent teaching jobs in our schools.”

Ms Bradley added, “The message to our members today is clear. If you have not completed and posted your ballot paper, do it now. Don’t wait until the last minute to use your vote, or you run the risk of being disenfranchised if your ballot paper does not arrive in time. Current trade union law dictates that statutory ballots must be conducted by post, and the current issues with Royal Mail make it even more challenging for union members to exercise their democratic rights. I would urge every teacher today to help us overcome these challenges, make a stand on teacher workload and precarity of employment, and sent a strong and clear message to government and employers. Complete your ballot, post it back, so that the EIS can negotiate the best possible resolution to this workload dispute and then move on to our next set of priorities.”