Created on: 23 Jun 2023 | Last modified: 11 Apr 2024
Members have consistently identified that supporting ASN, tackling excessive workload and pupil behaviour are the issues of greatest concern to them. The “Stand Up for Quality Education” campaign will seek progress in these three areas to improve teachers’ working conditions and to positively affect learning experiences and outcomes.
A “Stand Up for Quality Education” campaign pack is enclosed so that branches can kick off the campaign at the start of the new school year.
We have also worked in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh to promote and share its “teacher directed abuse” survey amongst members over the summer months.
Action for Reps: Your “Stand Up for Quality Education” campaign pack is enclosed, you should arrange a branch meeting in a slot during your first two days back next session to inform members of the campaign. Keep an eye out for the University of Edinburgh survey and please promote it to members.
EIS-FELA representatives of City of Glasgow College were told by senior management in May that the college workforce will be reduced by up to 100 posts using compulsory redundancies. The majority of these are teaching posts which will mean that by the end of the academic year, up to 100 lecturers will lose their jobs.
Cuts have also been made to teaching time which means an increase in lecturers’ workload and more cuts to teaching time are planned for the next academic year. The College has also lost nearly all Learning Support Lecturers who provide valuable expertise to support students with additional learning support needs.
City of Glasgow College branch has now escalated their industrial action to indefinite strike action to fight these redundancies.
Action for Reps: Please support EIS-FELA colleagues at the City of Glasgow College by sending messages of solidarity and following @EISFela on Twitter to find out where and when they will be picketing.
EIS FELA members are carrying out industrial action short of strike action (ASOS) across all FE colleges at the moment in pursuit of a fair pay offer for 2022 and 2023. This “ASOS” is a ‘work-to-contract’ and a ‘resulting boycott’. It is likely to escalate to strike action in the new session.
There is also a growing threat to jobs that EIS-FELA is fighting across the sector. EIS-FELA believe this has transpired due to poor governance and management within the FE sector, parts of which seem to be promoting private income streams in these public bodies.
Action for Reps: Please support EIS-FELA colleagues by sending messages of solidarity and following @EISFela on Twitter and email messages of support to National Officer Stuart Brown.
The ‘pensions’ dispute at Hutchesons’ Grammar School continues and whilst the school has now started to meaningfully negotiate, further strike action is necessary to pursue a resolution.
Action for Reps: Please support EIS colleagues at HGS to keep the same pension as state school colleagues. Please email your statements of support or solidarity to Area Officer Sarah Collins SCollins@eis.org.uk
There is still time to set up a WTA branch meeting. Your EIS Organiser can support with this by attending and speaking on the Working Time Agreement or a specific topic of your choice.
Action for Reps: Visit EIS Organisers webpage to find your Organiser to help arrange a meeting.
The EIS-ULA currently has a consultative ballot out to members and is urging members of the EIS-ULA to reject the UCEA 2023-24 pay offer and vote YES to Strike action and YES to action short of strike.
The ballot closes on 30th June so please ensure all members are aware of the ballot and have returned their vote.
If you or a member cannot find your ballot or have not received your online voting codes, please contact us at ballot@eis.org.uk
Action for EIS-ULA Reps: Please remind members of the consultative ballot and urge them to vote YES to strike action and YES to action short of strikes.
Some independent schools choose not to recognise trade unions, despite high levels of union membership. The EIS will continue to push for recognition and representation to ensure that our members are treated fairly and are aware of their rights.
Action for Reps: If you are concerned that you are being treated unfairly or discriminated against, please contact your nearest Area Office in Dundee, Edinburgh or Glasgow. You will be put in contact with the relevant Area Officer for the local authority area in which you work.
More information is on the EIS website here.
It is important for reps to keep up-to-date with EIS and TUC training in order to support you with your role – which is key to the EIS. We are also keen to provide EIS and TUC training to activists who are considering becoming reps.
More information may be found here.
We are also planning to run a 20-week online EIS Stage 2 course in 2023-24 for reps and activists that is TUC accredited and run by the City of Glasgow College. However, the strikes and other issues at the college mean that we will need to advertise this course at a later point in the year.
Action for Reps: Please check the above webpage for rep training opportunities and contact your local Organiser if you have any queries.
On International Workers’ Memorial Day 2023 the STUC, together with 16 Scottish trade unions, Scottish Hazards and Action on Asbestos, issued a joint statement in support of the Proposed Scottish Employment Injuries Advisory Council Bill.
Importantly, the Bill would give workers and trade unionists a permanent role on the council, advising on the new injury benefit, which would include acknowledging Long Covid as an industrial disease, and recognise women’s health and safety at work. The STUC has shared a toolkit to support trade unions to raise awareness and campaign for the Bill.
Action for Reps: Please familiarise yourself with the toolkit, and utilise its resources as appropriate. Find the toolkit on our website here: https://www.eis.org.uk/health-and-safety/stuctoolkit
If you have an issue that you need help resolving contact your Local Association Secretary. EIS Local Associations also meet regularly to discuss local issues and members are welcome to attend and stand for positions on the committee of management.
Action for Reps: Go to https://www.eis.org.uk/Contacts/LocalAssociation to discover what meetings and events are running over the coming months and to get involved.
New Probationers:
23/24 Probationer teachers may be joining your school when the new school year commences. Please approach all new probationers to ask them if they would like to join. Membership is free until December 2024. After that, probationers can get a further 50% discount on full membership for the following nine months if they update their direct debit details with us by the end of their 18-month free period.
Previous Probationers:
There may still be teachers in your school who are no longer in their probationary period but did not join at the end of their free membership (ended Dec 2022). Please check and follow up, if they did not set up a direct debit with the EIS they are not members.
1.Check with your new Probationers in August 2023
2.Check with colleagues who are due to finish their probationary year.
2.Check with your colleagues who are recently out of their Probationary period.
Action for Reps: Encourage current probationer teacher colleagues to join for free online today and speak to your colleagues who were previous probationers about continuing their membership https://www.eis.org.uk/Join
If you have new colleagues in your school who are EIS members, they should update their school base or personal contact details on the MyEIS section of the website.
Action for Reps: Remind new colleagues to log on using their EIS number. It is quick and simple to set up a password. Alternatively, as a Rep you should have access to member lists for your school and you can update details on their behalf.
Visit www.eis.org.uk/Account/EISLogin to update member details.
The EIS has produced a new booklet for members on the power of LGBT inclusive education, which is now a national requirement for all schools in Scotland. This guidance offers advice for EIS members on how we can play our part by helping to create safe, supportive and inclusive educational settings, which allow everyone to thrive.
The EIS’s overarching position is that pupils and students have the right to learn, and teachers and lecturers have the right to work, in an educational environment that is free from discrimination, where the rights of all are equally upheld.
Action for Reps: Please share the briefing with members in all schools and colleges available on the EIS website here.
The EIS is funding this year’s Anti-racism Creative Showcase for Schools, run by Show Racism the Red Card. The showcase is a great way to engage learners in an anti-racist curriculum, and have their work exhibited in an online gallery.
All entries accepted from 18th August until 13th October 2023.
Action for Reps: Please make members aware of the showcase and share the relevant information found online here.
Is your Local Association or college branch in need of a Learning Rep? Do you have newly engaged activists eager to take up a role which supports members locally and nationally?
EIS Learning Reps work with members locally to support them on professional learning issues, ensure access to high quality training opportunities, and take forward the professional learning agenda in the workplace.
Members receive thorough training for this role through a specialist EIS Learning Reps training course, designed to prepare new Learning Reps for leadership on professional learning in Scotland.
Learning Reps also work within their Local Association or college branch to strengthen organisation and campaigning on issues which matter to our members, informed by a trade union perspective on career-long professional learning.
Action for Reps: For more information about the Learning Reps course, and to register a member’s interest in the forthcoming 2023 Learning reps course, see How to become a Learning Rep on the EIS website, or contact rhenthorn@eis.org.uk for more information.
Stand Up For Quality Education poster 1