Teacher strikes halted as council to drop job cuts

A strike by teachers in Glasgow has been suspended following talks between unions and the city council.

Members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) teaching union were to walk out on 20 February unless ongoing education cuts were halted and reversed.

BBC Scotland News understands the local authority has now agreed to remove the second and third year of cuts from next week's budget, with the EIS optimistic it can reverse the job losses that have already taken place.

Glasgow City Council (GCC) originally planned to axe 450 posts over a three-year period as part of a savings drive, with around 120 roles already scrapped.

The EIS previously argued the cuts would harm teaching standards and create heavier workloads for staff.

A source at the union told BBC Scotland News: "We are going to see what the budget says next week but as long as they can get this through then the cuts for years two and three will be taken off the table.

"We are still hoping to get the cuts they have already made reversed."

A letter sent to the union by the SNP's Allan Casey, the councillor in charge of workforce, says £17m will be found elsewhere to cover the teachers.

Cllr Casey wrote: "We will find £17m over two years to fund this. I hope you agree that it represents a significant commitment to our teaching workforce and to the quality of education in the city. I hope this will be welcome news to your members."

Cllr Casey also said that additional funding from the Scottish government would be used on increasing the number of teachers in the city, and that the SNP were "hopeful" other parties would back the proposal.

The union will have a mandate to go on strike again within six months if it looks like the cuts are being reintroduced or the budget is not going to pass.

However, the SNP group's size means it is unlikely to fail.

GCC previously said no teachers in permanent jobs would be made redundant and that savings would come from not filling vacant posts or reducing staff on temporary contracts.

The local authority said it needed to look at every option to make savings, as the education budget covers more than half the local authority's direct expenditure

Last year the Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth revealed she had not allowed the £145.5m which was set aside to maintain teacher numbers to be paid to councils.

This was because some - including Glasgow - had cut teacher numbers.

However, in December Cosla and the Scottish government signed an official agreement to maintain teacher numbers and freeze learning hours.

Parents had argued the proposed cuts would disproportionately impact children with additional support needs and those living in poverty.

The council has been approached for comment.