Fife’s largest teaching union has warned Fife Council that cuts to education will be met with anger.
The council’s budget meeting is being held on February 10, and the Fife branch of the Education Institute of Scotland (EIS) fears teachers’ working conditions are set to deteriorate.
Fife EIS spokesman David Farmer said, “Fife EIS remains very worried about the potential threat to the education service in Fife.
“We note Fife Council has publicly announced there will be no compulsory redundancies but we also know that, to achieve the headline figures the council seeks, jobs will have to go one way or another.”
He added, “We are also alarmed by public statements from a number of Scottish local authorities who wish, it appears, to drastically change the conditions of service of Scottish teachers.
“Our nationally agreed conditions, contained in the McCrone Agreement, will be reviewed later in 2011 but it seems that a number of authorities have jumped the gun with a shopping list of changes they would like to see implemented.”
Mr Farmer said, “Scrapping conserved salaries, closure of the chartered teacher scheme, a reduction of teacher non-contact time, an increase in the timetable for probationers, a reduction of the holiday entitlement for those on maternity leave and reducing payment for supply teachers seem to be the main items on the shopping list, coupled of course with a two-year pay freeze.”
He said cuts affecting teachers’ working conditions would be “to the detriment of education in Fife.”
Mr Farmer said, “Teachers would be trying to deliver the same service with less time, fewer resources, fewer opportunities to progress.
“We know any changes to our conditions could only be achieved through some national resolution.”‘This is going to be hard’He added, “That said, our view would be such a linkage by Fife Council would lead to an angry and resolute reaction from Fife teachers who have fought long and hard for their conditions.”
Robin Waterston, depute chairman of the education and children’s services committee, said, “Fife Council is facing the toughest budget round in living memory and we have no choice but to reduce our expenditure very substantially.
“There are huge challenges ahead to use every pound we receive as efficiently as we can.
“Education is one of our top priorities and we are determined to ensure that the ability of our schools to provide first class education is not jeopardised. ”
He added, “We value the constructive relationship we have had with the EIS up to now.
“Economic circumstances have changed drastically since 2000 and we have to recognise new ways of working will require review of national arrangements as well as other aspects within the council’s control.
“We have now to scrutinise every aspect of the education budget.”
Mr Waterston said, “This is going to be hard, there is no doubt about that.
“We… will do everything we can to work positively with the teaching, and other, unions to bring about any necessary changes as effectively as possible, knowing that we all want the best possible outcomes for our young people.”
Photo used under Creative Commons licence courtesy of Flickr user Rainer Ebert.