Dear All,
Our Glasgow Statutory postal ballot for industrial action to oppose damaging cuts to teacher numbers has one more week to run and closes next Tuesday 1st October. The resounding mandate from June’s consultative ballot clearly sounded the urgent need to challenge the proposed cut of 450 teaching posts in Glasgow by 2026. So please vote, return your ballot in the prepaid envelope and, to respond to queries, note that local action is supported by strike pay as intimated in consultative ballot paper though not in statutory one.
- Action for members: If you’ve not received your Statutory Ballot papers, then please email ballot@eis.org.uk now and we’ll confirm your address then sort out another ballot to be sent to you. Please note though that tomorrow 24th is last day to request these. It’s also worth taking this action, for belt and braces, if you have waited over 48 hours after clicking the link in texts/emails requesting replacement papers.
- Branch meetings: At the start of session, we issued a campaign update presentation for Reps to share with their Branch in meetings and can send out updated version if needed. It focuses on the timeline for the Statutory ballot and action information will be key points for discussing. Please email glasgowla@eis.org.uk if a speaker would be helpful at meetings and we’ll get this organised.
- Social media: You can follow @EISGlasgow on X for daily updates around the campaign and our ballot. It would be good to hear your reasons for voting YES/YES so these can be shared and the following survey, which can be anonymous or not, will take a minute to fill in. Why I'm Voting YES/YES
- Local Training and meetings:
- LGBTQ+ Teams Meeting planned for 25th September and can be signed up for on CPD Manger
- School EIS Reps Network meetings are upcoming in October and can also be signed up for.
- EIS and Digital Skills Education: on Wednesday 25th September, 6pm-7.30pm, for Exploring Digital Tools in the Classroom. This practical, interactive workshop will take place at the EIS Glasgow Area Office and is for everyone who wishes to learn about the use of some popular digital tools that are particularly useful for classroom and learning settings. Please visit the EIS website for more information, and to book your place: https://www.eis.org.uk/seminarscourses/digitallearning.
Have a good long weekend when it comes, it’ll be a much needed and well-deserved break. Friday the 27th is the final date to post your ballot papers and last minute will very much still count – please lend your voice to the No Cuts campaign by using your vote and tell our employer that education provision here cannot absorb the loss of 450 teachers. The eyes of all councils are focussed on Glasgow, and we are a line in the sand because, if teacher cuts get through here, it’ll stand to become open season nationally despite the manifesto promise to protect teacher numbers.
Jane
