Created on: 15 May 2024 | Last modified: 30 Oct 2024
Secretary's Update 28 October 2024
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well, and had a good weekend. A few very quick updates for you.
CEC payslips and pay dates
As you know, CEC has been updating its HR system. This has meant that payslips for October have not been available as early as usual. However, they should be available to review today. CEC is encouraging all employees to check them carefully, to ensure that they are correct. If you do spot any errors, or are unclear about anything, then the first thing you should do is either talk to your Business Manager, or contact the askHR team on 0131 469 5555. As per usual, we should all be paid on the last Thursday of the month, so 31st October. Remember that this month will not include the uplift and back pay resulting from our pay award – that will happen in November.
Writing successful motions for EIS AGMs
The EIS prides itself on being a member-led organisation. The main way that members can direct the work of the union is by proposing motions that go to the local and national AGMs, where they are debated and voted on – those that were voted through then form the basis of the union’s work in the coming year. This applies for both local and national actions that members want to see carried out. This means that it is important that members understand what things are suitable topics for motions, and how to write motions that are compliant with the standing orders of the union. To this end, our national President, Allan Crosbie, will be running a training session on Monday 2nd December on Teams at 16.15. This is open to all Edinburgh members, though it will be particularly useful for reps, LA Executive members and anyone who has an issue where they want to see the EIS taking action. You can sign up for the course using this link or you can use this Teams link Join the meeting now
Winter social – 23rd January 2025
Don’t forget to register for the winter social. As well as a chance to meet fellow members and enjoy an informal get-together, this will also be an opportunity to mark Heather’s retirement, and thank her for all she has done for all of us over the years.
I hope you have a good week. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 10 October 2024
Dear EIS Member,
I do hope your week has been going well, and that you are looking forward to a good break over the half-term. This is quite a short update, but it does have some important information.
CEC Payroll Update
As has been mentioned already, CEC has been updating its HR and payroll systems. This should all now be live, and employees should be able to get access to their HR info. You can find out more here: https://orb.edinburgh.gov.uk/new-hr-payroll-system
Teacher Pay Award
Hopefully everyone has seen the communications from CEC about when they will be applying the uplift resulting from the recent pay award. Just in case anyone missed it, you can find the info here – Pay awards – The City of Edinburgh Council – though there is a summary here for those who cannot access the orb link.
ASL Review
The ASL Review has reached its midpoint, and there have been a few changes to the initial proposal (including acceding to a union request to extend the closing date, to allow for the fact that next week is half-term). The final date is now 8th November. Information can all be found on the Orb here. As I am typing, the midpoint presentation and updated structure hasn’t been uploaded, but I have asked that these are placed on the page ASAP, and they should be there by the time you are reading this. I would continue to urge all members to read the proposals and think about the impacts.
CEC Budget
As we have talked about at length, CEC’s budget situation is not good… As part of trying to address this, the council are asking all employees to think about ways to save money and how to prioritise its services. I’ve spoken to many members who have bemoaned areas where they feel the council is wasting resources (procurement is an obvious one). This is your chance to point out the issues, and to suggest solutions – the more detailed and specific you can be, the better, and I would urge everyone to complete this survey before it closes on 31st October. The first few questions are locality focused, but they can be skipped if you don’t have anything to say – the key ones are towards the end. The survey has already been shared in a newsbeat article but, in case you have missed it, the link is here: Colleague Budget Engagement 2024 - City of Edinburgh Council - Citizen Space. Please do take a bit of time to fill it in.
I hope the last couple of days go well, and that you have a relaxing holiday, when it finally arrives. Stay safe and well, whether you are travelling or staying at home, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 7 October 2024
Dear EIS Member,
I hope you are well and looking forward to half-term. It has been a particularly busy few weeks, and I think we are all in need of a break. Before that, though, some key updates.
ASL Review
This continues to be a major area of work. We are in ongoing discussions with a range of different stakeholders around the proposals, with particularly complex discussions around those members on temporary contracts/in acting up roles, etc. I hope that I will soon be able to respond to the individual queries that have been coming in. I’m also going to hold an additional meeting for those members who are in the scope of the review on Tuesday 22nd October at 4pm on Teams. You can join at the link here or reply to this email if you want a calendar invite.
I would urge ALL members to read the inclusion review documentation, regardless of whether you are in scope or are school based. How we support pupils with additional needs is clearly crucial, so any restructuring of support will impact on all of us. You can find information about the proposals here. I know some branches are planning to hold meetings to discuss their views on the proposals, and that might be something you might want to consider in your school.
I’d also remind members of the HT/DHT network that you can either get in touch with me directly to share your views on the proposal, or you can join the Teams meeting tomorrow (Tuesday 8th) at 5.30pm that we are holding to discuss this. To join, click the link here or reply to this email for a calendar invite.
Education for Peace – Informal Discussion Meeting on 10th October
As a response to the United Nations International Day of Peace on September 21st, the soft launch of the EIS Education for Peace policy booklet the previous day at EIS Council, and the TUC's support for a workplace day of action in solidarity with Palestine, Edinburgh Local Association is holding an informal discussion meeting on 10 October at 46 Moray Place 5pm-7pm. This is a chance for members to share ideas, talk through approaches to Peace Education, look at resources etc. If you are planning on coming along, do register here.
Other Queries
Given all that has been happening around the review, it has been particularly challenging to keep up with other queries. If you emailed me and have not had a response, I do apologise. I will be trying, in the coming days, to catch up on some of the backlog, but I cannot promise I will manage this before we break for half term. If your query is particularly urgent, please do message me again, or you can try to reach me via my mobile. If it can wait a little while, then that would be helpful. Do also remember that the other office bearers might be able to assist. If your query relates to health and safety matters, or to special schools, you can email Edinburgh LA Asst Secretary Tom Britton asstsecretaryedinburghla@eis.org.uk. If it relates to ICT, you can email Edinburgh LA President Phill Pearce edinburghlapresident@eis.org.uk. Or if it relates to primary school matters, both Phill and Edinburgh LA Vice President Claire Robertson edinburghlavicepresident@eis.org.uk can help.
Good luck with the rest of the week, and best wishes for a restful half-term when it finally arrives (though I may be emailing before then). In the meantime, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other – a message that is more and more important as pressures build.
Alison
Secretary's Update 20 September 2024
Dear EIS Member
I hope you enjoyed both the long weekend and the consequently shorter working week. Though I certainly feel like I’ve tried to pack 5 days’ work into 4, and I imagine it has been the same for many of you. A few updates for you before the weekend starts.
ASL Review
The formal launch of the ASL Review took place on Tuesday. Obviously, in the coming weeks, our chief focus will be on supporting those members who are in the scope of the review, and who are looking at very significant changes to terms and conditions, working patterns, deletion of posts, etc. More on that momentarily. However, there is no doubt that such a significant review will have a knock-on impact on all of us, and on our ability to support pupils with additional needs. I would urge all members to read the proposals, which you can find here on the Orb, to think about what it might mean in your setting, and to raise any questions via the dedicated mailbox inclusion@edinburgh.gov.uk (you might want to cc me in, for info). I will, in the coming weeks, be reaching out to reps, our HT/DHT network, and other groups, to get their views, so as to better inform our response.
As for those colleagues who are directly in scope… Firstly, thanks to those who have cc’d me into the questions you are raising about the review. That really is very helpful. I hope you will understand that I might not reply individually to all of those messages – but they are certainly helping us to shape our response, and the questions we will be raising in a number of forums. What I will endeavour to do in the coming days (but it might well take some time) is get back to individuals who have specific concerns about matters related to terms and conditions, their own situation, etc. Some of these will be resolved quite quickly (I believe clarity has already been issued around the retention of Chartered Teachers) and others may take longer. Given the complex nature of some of the queries, I’d ask for your patience for another week or so – but if you haven’t had a reply by 1st October, do get back to me.
We have already arranged two meetings for those members in scope. The first is this coming Wednesday (25th) at 4pm. This is a hybrid meeting, being held at EIS HQ, 46 Moray Place and on Teams (please click here to join the Wednesday meeting online). If you want to attend in person, you MUST email us before Wednesday to let us know, purely so we know how many to expect and can make appropriate arrangements. The next meeting will be Friday 1st November, at 1.30pm – same arrangements, though the link to join is here. We are also arranging smaller meetings for specific groups of impacted staff and can set up further meetings if necessary.
CEC Budget
This review links closely to our wider Save Our Schools Campaign on the CEC budget, and we will be working hard to ensure councillors, parents, and the public are kept fully informed of all that is happening, and is likely to happen, both now and in the coming years. A big part of this is challenging the lack of permanent teaching roles within CEC – something we have been raising with the council for some time now, and which the ASL review has thrown into even sharper relief.
Reasonable Adjustments
Anyone with a long-term health condition or disability is entitled to expect their employer to make reasonable adjustments to allow them to fulfil their duties. This is something that can work extremely well – but does not happen consistently enough, and there are too many instances of people not getting the support they need. CEC is committed to rolling out better support and training – but, as always, this is being hindered by lack of resource. I hope to lay on some sessions for members and reps to outline some things that might help but, in the meantime, I would urge both members who might need such adjustments and, very importantly, anyone with line management responsibility to make sure you are familiar with the CEC toolkit, as it signposts people towards the supports available.
Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry
The Scottish COVID-19 Inquiry is inviting young people, teachers, and other education professionals from across Scotland to share their experiences of the pandemic. If you want to contribute, follow this link.
I hope you enjoy your weekend – and that the weather improves for all of us. Regardless of whether we do get any more sun, I hope you stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 6 Septmeber 2024
Dear EIS member
It’s nearly the weekend. Let’s hope the weather improves for it…
Ballot on pay offer – PLEASE VOTE!
Everyone should have received an email with information about the latest pay award, including the reasons why the Salaries Committee is recommending accept. However, as it said, the ultimate decision lies with the membership, so it is vital that everyone makes sure their voice is heard. This is a tight turnaround – the ballot closes at noon on Wednesday – so, if you haven’t voted, please do so now. If you didn’t receive your ballot email (and If it’s not in your junk or spam folders) then email the EIS membership department.
New HR and payroll system
The old system shuts down on Thursday 12th so, if there is any information you need to download and save, that needs to happen before then. More information is here on the Orb.
CEC Budget
On Tuesday, the EIS made a deputation to the Education, Children and Families Committee about the devastating impact the proposed cuts will have on our ability to deliver quality education to the children of Edinburgh. You can see the webcast here (our deputation was the first) and you can read about some of the key points we made here. We’ll continue to lobby around this in the coming weeks, including meeting with councillors, contacting parent groups and speaking to the press. We need to make sure we Save Our Schools!
Other issues
We are, at the same time, continuing to work on a range of other issues, including ICT in schools, staff wellbeing, workload, the lack of permanent contracts etc. The Edinburgh LA Executive are looking at ways we can further support branches in tackling the challenges we face in our working lives. A key to making positive change is collective action at school level (we are a union, after all). If you think it would be helpful to have one of the office bearers come out to meet with your branch, do please get in touch. We are keen to have more branch meetings, and to talk to members about how we can better work together.
Do enjoy your weekend, and don’t forget to vote! Stay safe and well, and keep on being kind.
Alison
Secretary's Update 30 August 2024
Dear EIS Member
Nearly the weekend! I hope your week has gone well. There’s a lot in this bulletin, so apologies in advance for the length, but some of it is pretty crucial.
CEC Budget Cuts
Many of you will have seen the coverage about CEC’s proposed budget cuts (see, for example, this article). We have already been working on ways of challenging these cuts and ensuring education gets the funding it needs, but that has obviously kicked up a gear now that we know what is being planned. I won’t go over everything we are doing/planning on doing here, as it would be a lengthy list, but do expect to get more updates, and more requests for action and support, in the coming weeks.
One thing we will be doing on Tuesday is making a deputation to CEC’s Education, Children and Families Committee, to make sure councillors are fully aware of the impact of what they are proposing. One of the things we will be pointing out to them is the amount of unpaid overtime we are doing for CEC – we are already propping up an underfunded system, and that cannot go on. Have a look at this statement to get an idea of the scale of the subsidy we are making to Edinburgh…
Glasgow Cuts
You will probably also be aware of Glasgow’s threat to cut teacher numbers. The Glasgow LA is about to ballot its members over industrial action due to this – we have already sent messages of solidarity and support to Glasgow on behalf of the Edinburgh LA, but I know individual members reaching out to friends and family in Glasgow to offer support (and to encourage a good turnout in the ballot) would be appreciated. If you use social media, do please share lots of messages about this dispute – it is crucial that this appalling attack on teachers and on education is resisted.
Back Tax
I’ve had quite a few members get in touch with queries about reclaiming the tax on the pay award from last year. Hopefully the following is some help…
CEC submitted all the information required by HMRC before the summer. This was submitted at the same time for everyone. However, HMRC needs to process this for each individual (since every person will have different circumstances) which means that people will hear at different times. And, of course, some people will not actually have any change in their tax liability (e.g. if they were already in a higher tax bracket, or if the lump sum did not tip them into a higher band) so may well not receive any automatic update from HMRC. Anyone who wants to check the progress of their claim will need to contact HMRC – though some members have reported that either using the HMRC app, or the online portal, is the best way of checking what is happening about their individual claim.
CEC submitted information for everyone who was an employee at the time the award was made, including leavers. However, those who have left may find that HMRC processes their information at a different time, depending on when they left CEC and what their current employer is doing. Thus, they can either wait (since, in most cases, the tax will even out over the course of the next financial year) or can contact HMRC individually.
Of course, any member who would rather not wait can, at any time, contact HMRC individually (a guide to doing so is here) but you will be confirming information they hold already, so it may make sense to wait a bit longer to allow them time to process things.
Finally, I am afraid neither I nor CEC can comment on whether the individual amounts calculated by HMRC are correct. There are so many factors affecting tax liability (pension contributions, student loans, etc.) that two people receiving identical salaries may have quite different tax bills.
PACT
The EIS has a proud tradition of campaigning against poverty, and the PACT Programme is a crucial part of this. HQ is looking to recruit and train more PACTivists, and an information session will take place online on Thursday 12th September from 4pm – 5pm.
This session is intended to share further information about the PACT Programme, provide an update of the EIS plans for PACT going forward, and to support EIS members who are interested in becoming one of our new PACTivists in the not-too-distant future. More information can be found here on the EIS website.
For those who may wish to be involved with PACT Programme but are unable to attend the information session, please advise John Harris JHarris@eis.org.uk and someone will get in touch directly with further information.
Protest Against the Far Right - 7th September
Thanks to those who have already been in touch to say they will be coming along to this vital protest (click here for details). I hope lots more of you will be joining us – do drop me an email, so I know how many flags to bring along! For those who would like to travel to Glasgow together, the plan is to get the 10.45 train from Waverley Station, so come meet outside Boots by 10.30am (I’ll be the one with all the flags and wearing EIS-branded clobber).
Events Throughout the Year
If you go to our Meetings and Events page on the Edinburgh LA website, you’ll see a calendar of events we are planning this year. Do see which ones are of interest to you and get them in your diary now (it’d be particularly great to see lots of you at the two socials). We will be adding events throughout the year (e.g. when we confirm information meetings about pensions) so keep an eye on the page. If there is something you think we should be doing that is missing, do get in touch.
Social Care Conference
The ETUC is organising a conference to address the cuts to social care. This will impact on many of us, as we care for friends and family – or need care ourselves. Go to the Latest Matters and Events page to find out more.
As I said, a lengthy bulletin, but with lots of important information.
I do hope you have a good weekend, with plenty of rest and relaxation – and no unpaid overtime… Whatever you are doing, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to ourselves and each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 20 August 2024
Dear EIS member
I hope the second week back is going well. This is a very short bulletin, with two very pragmatic notices – one relevant to everyone working for CEC, and one for anyone who recently completed their probation year.
Changes to CEC HR systems
Everyone should have received a “Colleague News” email about the forthcoming changes to myHR. Now, I am sure you all read all your CEC emails in great detail, but I am going to mention a couple of things, just in case… Basically, CEC are changing their HR system, and many HR functions will be temporarily unavailable during the handover. Whilst a lot of things don’t really impact on teachers (for example, few of us need to worry about booking leave, or confirming shift pattern), some do, and you really should check whether you need to do anything before the handover begins on 12th September. You can get full information here but a few key ones to note are:
If you are making any change to your working pattern (going on maternity leave, changing hours, putting in an application for a career break etc) then the forms have to be in as soon as possible, but certainly before 12th September. Any submitted after that will probably be delayed.
Any supply claims for hours worked have to be in by 3rd September.
If you have not kept hold of your P60s from previous years (we all should retain these) then make sure you print them off now, because old ones will not be available on the new system. Same applies if you want old payslips.
Additional Salary Points
The rules about what enables someone who has completed their probation period to claim additional salary points are national, and can be found here (1.18 onwards). If, having read the relevant sections, you think you qualify, then the procedure in Edinburgh is:
Go to AskHR, go to Pay, Hours and Claims and then go to Salary Assessment – Teachers. You will find a form you need to complete. It is very important that you submit evidence confirming what you are claiming for, so payslips showing the length of time worked/hours, letters from previous employers etc. also include your GTCS number.
Have a good week. Stay safe and well, and keep on being kind.
Alison
Secretary's Update 16 August 2024
Dear EIS member
I do hope you are well, and that you had a great summer. I also hope the first week back has gone as smoothly as these ever can, and that it hasn’t been too frenetic. It’s certainly been a busy start to term here in the LA office, which is why this is only coming out now. There will be a few updates in the coming days, going over various key topics, so do keep an eye out for key information relevant to you. I’m sure it won’t surprise you to know that members have already been in touch with concerns about a range of issues, from ICT to cleaning, and we are following these up with CEC to see what can be done to address concerns – again, we will issue updates as and when we can. If you have been in touch over the holidays, or in the last few days, with an individual concern, and haven’t yet heard back from me, I apologise. I am trying to clear the backlog of messages, and get in touch with everyone, but it is taking some time. If your issue is particularly time sensitive, then do email again, or phone (it might be better to try the office phone in the first instance – you’ll see it and my mobile number below).
In the meantime:
Are your contact details up to date?
PLEASE go to https://www.eis.org.uk/account/eislogin, log into the member area and check that all your details are up to date, including school, category of employment etc. Remember that, in some cases (e.g. if you have dropped your hours below a certain threshold) you may be eligible for a reduction in your subscriptions – but this can only happen if HQ has the correct information for you.
It would be massively helpful if you could remind those new to your school to do the same – particularly if they have come from another LA. And, if probationers and former probationers do not have up to date details, it is all too easy for their membership to lapse – there are few things worse than when I cannot support someone because they are not actually a member, so I really do urge everyone to make sure they do this.
Racism and the rise of the far right
The riots and disorder that happened a few weeks ago were shocking and incredibly worrying. And, whilst we might not have seen the same level of violence in Scotland, that does not mean that we are immune to concerns, and members have already been in touch about incidents they have experienced, worries about what is happening in their schools and communities, fears for their own safety, and other related concerns. Clearly, I can’t cover all we can, and need to, to address this in a short member bulletin. But I do want to assure members that this is a key priority, and there is already much work happening, with more to follow. CEC has already sent out some guidance to HTs, with advice about actions they may want to take and signposting them to existing resources, and we will be in active discussion with them in the coming weeks about what more we need to do. We’ll also be discussing this within the union, and I will be inviting members who want to become more involved to contribute to this work (do drop me an email if you think you would be interested). In the meantime, a date for your diaries is Saturday 7th September, when many of us will be gathering in Glasgow to show our opposition to fascism and racism – more details about transport etc soon, but see here for a bit more information.
Trade Unions in Communities Family Fun Day- Saturday 17th August
If you are free tomorrow, and fancy an alternative to the festivals, you might want to go along to what promises to be a great event. See here for details.
Do have a great weekend. Remember to rest, relax, and switch off. The start of the new year is a good time to make resolutions about self-care and work-life boundaries. I’ll be in touch again soon.
Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other, and to ourselves.
Alison
Secretary's Update 27 June 2024
Dear EIS Member
Almost the end of term. And almost the last bulletin of this academic year.
ETUC Hustings tonight
Please do try and come along to tonight’s ETUC hustings. Details are here. It’s important that we take every opportunity to remind politicians from across the political spectrum of the vital importance of protecting and prioritising education. If you find yourself doorstepped by any of the parties in the last few days before the election, do ask them about their education plans – there are some ideas for things you might like to cover here.
CEC budget
Another reminder to everyone of the importance of completing the CEC survey on budget priorities – we have to make sure education is protected locally as well as nationally. All the info and links are here.
Rest and boundaries – protecting your wellbeing over the summer holidays and beyond
At the recent EIS AGM, there were some excellent talks and workshops from Education Support, focusing on what we can do both individually collectively to protect our health and wellbeing. Claire Chalmers has put together some of the key messages here, and some of you will find the ideas very helpful. Claire is an exec member, and an English teacher at Drummond, who has a passion for wellbeing work and a real commitment to finding ways of us collectively supporting each other’s wellbeing. Many of you will know her from the work she has done with our learning reps around supporting wellbeing, and “knowing our nos”. She thought this message might be helpful in the run-up to the holidays. As with everything wellbeing, you know you and your needs best. Take what is helpful and leave what isn’t. You might also want to have a look at Education Support’s website, as there are a lot of interesting ideas and resources there.
Today, tomorrow and over the summer
This is proving a pretty busy end of term for all of us. I am trying to get back to members about urgent matters, but it is proving challenging. If yours is something that genuinely cannot wait, then do call the office number. I will be on holiday from Friday, but Marni will be in the office and trying to clear some of the backlog over some of the summer. Hopefully things will be slightly less frenetic in August…
I hope to see you at tonight’s hustings, and I will be in touch again briefly tomorrow. Enjoy the last few hours of work (it can be counted in hours now 😊), stay safe and well and, in and amongst everything going on in the last few days, let’s remember how important it is to just be kind – to ourselves and each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 13 June 2024
Dear EIS Member
I hope you are well, and having a good week. Not many of them left until the end of term!
EIS AGM
Many thanks to all the Edinburgh EIS delegates who made such fabulous contributions to our national AGM – and thanks, too, to those who provided cover so that they could attend this incredibly important meeting. Due to our efforts, EIS will be campaigning on a range of different issues over the coming months – from tackling supply teacher pay to better support for reps and activists. More details to follow. However, I will be feeding back specifically on the motions relating to supply teachers at our Teams meeting on Tuesday 18th at 4pm. Email edinburghla@eis.org.uk if you want an invite.
Protecting Colleagues from Unacceptable Behaviours
CEC has produced posters stating its commitment to protecting its employees from unacceptable behaviours, including from members of the public. These should be prominently displayed in schools, in areas where parents/the public will have access (playgrounds, foyers etc). It would also be worth members becoming familiar with the policies and procedures that sit behind those posters – you can find the policy here, whilst the full range of guidance (user guides, etc.) are published on The Orb and are well worth a read.
Gaza and Grenfell
I hope to see some of you at the rally marking the Grenfell anniversary, and the Glasgow demo calling for a ceasefire in Palestine. More details about both are on the LA Latest Matters and Events page. There is also a bus going through to the Glasgow demo, and you can book a seat here. As long as you keep receipts/screenshots, we can refund travel expenses.
General Election
It’s incredibly important that we keep education, and particularly the need to FUND education properly, front and centre of this election campaign. This might be asking questions of candidates that come to your door, by attending local hustings, by attending the national hustings being organised by the EIS (you should all have had an email from HQ with details about this) or by coming to the hustings being organised by the ETUC, which is happening on 27th June – more details here. Please do come along to at least one of these.
You will find the EIS manifesto here and that might give you ideas about topics to raise. I’d particularly urge members to ask questions about the continuing attacks on the college sector, and about Glasgow Council’s plans to cut 450 teacher jobs. With regard to the last – huge congratulations to our colleagues in Glasgow for an overwhelming vote to take action in response to those cuts. We will continue to offer them our support, both because solidarity is vital and because if Glasgow City Council can get away with this, we know other councils will try to follow.
Lots going on as we get to the end of term, which is always a busy time. I hope to see many of you at some of the upcoming events, including tonight’s social at 56 North Bar. In the meantime, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 5 June 2024
Dear EIS member,
A very quick bulletin today.
EIS AGM
A large Edinburgh delegation will be heading to Dundee tomorrow (Thursday 6th June) for the 178th EIS AGM. It’s great that so many Edinburgh members are keen to get more involved in driving forward the work of the union and to vote on setting our national priorities for the coming year. However, it does mean that we will have limited availability to respond to queries or concerns – if you have a query that is not urgent, it would be a great help if you could hold off until next week before sending it in. Do look out for coverage of the AGM in the media (both mainstream and EIS social media) as there will be lots of really important matters under discussion.
Contacting me via email
There have been quite a few instances lately of members getting in touch because they have not had a response to an email they have sent. Whilst some of these have been because I have missed an email or not had time to reply (sorry!), a significant proportion have, in fact, gone to the wrong email address. I am not the only Alison Murphy who works for CEC, so if you use the internal council email system to try to contact me, then you may well get the wrong person. Please make sure all email correspondence goes to edinburghla@eis.org.uk – this address also has the advantage of being checked regularly by Heather and Marni, who will nag me about emails I might have missed.
End of Term Social – June 13th
Our end of term social is next Thursday, June 13th at 56 North Bar. We need to confirm numbers with the caterers this week so, if you are planning on coming along, please do sign up on the EIS website here as soon as you can!
Have a good rest of the week, and enjoy the weekend when it arrives. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 30 May 2024
Dear EIS Member,
I hope you are well, and that your week has gone as smoothly as it can this close to the end of term… A few updates for you.
Tax rebate from last year’s pay award
I’ve had quite a few emails from members about the change in guidance from HMRC, who are now saying that any required adjustment must be made by the employer. CEC are aware of this change and are working on how it will be processed. Obviously, the late change to the guidance, and the fact that some employees have already made (and potentially received refunds arising from) individual claims makes this whole process administratively complex. However, my understanding is that something should be issued by CEC soon, explaining what will happen. This should also cover what those who have changed authority/retired etc during the relevant period need to do.
I’ve also had a few queries from members asking about the specifics of their own rebate. I’m afraid it is impossible for me, or anyone at the EIS, to be able to answer that. Factors that impact on what money any individual may, or may not, be due, are dependent on a range of individual circumstances. However, here is a general guide, and some sample calculations, which should help. This will include an explanation as to why some members will not be due any refund.
Apologies to those members who have emailed about all this, and not had an individual response, but hopefully the above clarifies things.
Resigning from your current post
A reminder that most teachers are required to give a minimum of 4 working weeks’ notice if they are intending to resign (longer for some people – the rules are here – go to section 9.23). Also remember that you should always put your resignation date as the last day of any holiday (so, if resigning now, it would be 11th August, but same applies if resigning at Christmas or Easter).
Supply teacher meeting
Thanks to all those supply teachers who completed our survey. Results are being analysed and will help inform motions we are bringing to EIS AGM, where we will be arguing for improvements in national terms and conditions. They will also be very helpful in ongoing talks with CEC. A reminder that we are having a Teams meeting for supply teachers on Tuesday 18th June at 4pm to update members on progress and discuss ongoing areas of concern. Email edinburghla@eis.org.uk for an invite.
Protecting Colleagues from Unacceptable Behaviours
CEC have produced a series of posters reminding members of the public that employees have the right to work without fear of abuse, violence, harassment, etc. After some delays, hard copies of these should be arriving in schools this week, and the expectation is that they will be displayed in areas where parents, carers, or members of the public will see them (foyers being an obvious example). I will be getting in touch with reps next week to check that they have arrived and are on display.
Forthcoming events
Lots happening in the next few weeks that might be of interest. See our Latest Matters and Events page for info about many of them. A few I want to highlight, and where we would really appreciate help are:
End of Term Social – June 13th
Really hoping to see lots of you at this event. You can sign up on the EIS website here.
Have a good weekend, when it finally arrives. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep looking after each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 14 May 2024
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well and enjoyed some sunshine over the weekend. I also hope some of you got to enjoy the Northern Lights (still upset I missed them!). A few quick updates for you.
Terms and Conditions – Session for Probationers on Tuesday 21st May
On Tuesday 21st May, at 4pm on Teams, I will be delivering a session on terms and conditions – this is part of the Professional Development Programme CEC offers to all probationers, and aims to cover some of the key bits of information all early stage teachers should know. Probationers should have received information directly from Irene Whitford but, in case not, you can Click here to join the meeting. This session is open to flexible route probationers, as well as those on the Teacher Induction Scheme.
Pride Edinburgh – Saturday 22nd June
Planning is now well underway for Pride Edinburgh 2024, on Saturday 22nd June. As has been the case for many years, Edinburgh EIS is keen to have a very visible presence, with some members marching under the EIS flags and banner, and others helping to staff the stall at the Community Festival. If you can help with either of these, please email edinburghla@eis.org.uk.
Gaza conflict – EIS resource
This has been highlighted before, but I think it is worth mentioning again… Many of you will be getting questions from pupils about the current conflict. This resource can be very helpful in helping teachers to consider how best to address this vital issue. https://www.eis.org.uk/palestine-and-israel-understanding-the-conflict/resource
End of Term Social
Hoping to see many of you at the end of term social on 13th June. You can book your free ticket here https://www.eis.org.uk/content/courseregistration/761 .
Consultations
As per my last bulletin https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh please do take a bit of time to fill in the current consultations/surveys on everything from CEC’s budget to issues facing supply colleagues.
Edinburgh College Open Meeting this Thursday (16th)
Don’t forget the open meeting to discuss the threats facing Edinburgh College. You’ll find all the information here https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/latest. That link also has the petition against the cuts to teacher numbers in Glasgow, which I hope all members have signed.
I hope you have a good week. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep looking after each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 10 May 2024
Dear EIS member
The weekend is finally here! It was a short week, but it has felt like a very intense one. A few quick updates and reminders before we all switch off for the weekend.
Consultations and Surveys
There are several very important consultations and surveys open at the moment. Please do take some time to participate in those that are relevant to you:
· Budget Consultation – we successfully resisted £8.2 million of budget cuts for this year – but the threat of them coming back in the next budget is a very real one. As part of our ongoing campaign to Save Our Schools, we need every member who is an Edinburgh resident to participate in the current CEC budget consultation. Links and information here.
· Supply Teacher Survey – many thanks to the dozens of members who have already completed the survey about issues facing supply staff/those without permanent contracts. However, we do need everyone who is on the CEC supply register to complete this survey (including those who are, at the moment, on a fixed term contract). You can find the survey here. There will be a follow up meeting to discuss the survey results, and actions we are taking to support supply colleagues at 4pm on Tuesday 18th June 2024, this will be held on Teams. Please email the office if you would like to attend, also let us know if you're a supply teacher and haven't received the emails about this.
· Sexual Harassment Survey – this is a confidential survey by CEC, which aims to inform the work they are doing to develop a policy to protect employees from sexual harassment. It closes on 14th May, and it is really important that Edinburgh has a good insight into people’s experiences, you can find the survey here.
· Culture in CEC – lastly, we have CEC’s survey asking employees about their experience of working for the Council, and how well it lives up to its values of respect, integrity and flexibility. Make sure the Council knows how you find it working for them here.
End of term social – Thursday 13th June
We have had several successful social events – these are an opportunity for members to meet in a more informal setting, to share ideas and experiences and to unwind. It’s also a chance for the Edinburgh LA Executive to thank members and activists for all their work, and for you to talk to LA Executive members about what you think we should be doing together. Our next one is on Thursday 13th June at 56 North, 2 West Crosscausewayside, EH8 9JP. Please do come along! Sign in here as soon as possible so we get an idea of numbers and let us know if you have any special dietary or access needs.
Defending the right to strike
Yesterday, our LA President, Phill Pearce, spoke to Edinburgh Council in support of a motion urging CEC never to implement Minimum Service Level Agreements – the latest piece of anti-trade union legislation being brought in by the current government. I’m pleased to report that the motion passed. You can see his speech if you go here and scroll to deputations.
As I said, I hope you manage to properly switch off and relax this weekend (though not before you complete the surveys!) and I hope we all get to enjoy some much needed sunshine and warmth. As always, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 7 May 2024
Dear EIS Member,
I hope you are well and enjoyed the long weekend. Some important requests for you –
Save Our Schools:
You should all have received an email last week, urging all those who are CEC residents to complete the budget consultation. You can find the info here (you might need to scroll down). PLEASE take time to do this. It’s vital that responses show the council the absolute need to prioritise education.
Supply Teachers:
You should also have had an email today asking everyone who is on the CEC supply register to complete a survey about their experience. We do need a high return, so please complete this before the deadline of 17th May. If you didn’t get the survey for any reason, email the office and we can resend it.
Sign the Petition Against Cuts to Glasgow Teacher Numbers:
I’m sure many of you know that Glasgow is threatening to cut over 400 teacher posts. The Glasgow LA has declared a dispute and is asking everyone to sign this petition protesting the decision. Please do sign and share – an attack on one is an attack on all, and we need to show all councils that cutting teacher numbers is NOT an acceptable option.
Cuts to Edinburgh College:
Edinburgh College – and our entire college sector – is under serious threat. You can find more information about the nationwide issues on the EIS website. Locally, our colleagues in EIS-FELA are organising a series of public meetings to raise awareness of the situation, and you can find information about the first of them here. Many of us will have had experience of the vital work done by colleges to support learners – often those from the most disadvantaged communities. Whether you work in a school that sends pupils to Edinburgh College, have benefited from the work of colleges yourself, or live in Edinburgh and care that we continue to benefit from a vibrant further education sector, please try to go along to the meeting and show your support.
Request from CEC HR:
CEC has launched a survey for employees, asking them for their views on how colleagues are experiencing the culture in the council. The survey can be access via this link, and it is a good opportunity for you to give your views on how well Edinburgh lives up to its commitments around flexibility, inclusivity, integrity and so on. It’s a pretty quick survey, and can be done completely anonymously, so do please take a few minutes to complete it.
Stationery Going Spare:
On a lighter note – we’ve been having a sort out here in the LA office and have amassed a lot of stationery over the years that we don’t need. It’s quite a random selection, but includes a lot of lever arch files, plastic wallets, subject dividers, some notebooks, a few box files, and other bits and pieces. If they would be of any use to you/kids at your school, get in touch (first come, first served!).
HS&W Rep Network Meeting:
As a reminder, the first HS&W network meeting for school HS&W reps will take place on Tuesday 14th May at EIS HQ at 5pm until 7pm. I am keen for us to establish a regular network in which our HS&W reps can come together for training, support and encouragement. If you are a school HS&W rep please email Tom at asstsecretaryedinburghla@eis.org.uk to confirm your place.
I hope you have a good week – at least it’s a short one! As always, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 2 May 2024 - Save Our Schools
Dear EIS Member,
No doubt you all remember our successful Save Our Schools Campaign in February, which resulted in CEC pulling its proposal to slash £8.2 million from school budgets. It is terrifying to think what plans schools would now be having to make if that cut were to be going ahead this year. However, the cuts were only postponed, not abandoned entirely. We now need to fight to ensure that they do not come back.
As the first stage in this, we need all members who are resident in Edinburgh to engage in CEC’s newly launched Budget Engagement 2024 Budget Engagement 2024 - City of Edinburgh Council - Citizen Space. This is our chance to ensure that all councillors know that education MUST be protected. I am sure most members are well able to articulate why education has to be prioritised, but we have written a guide to help you if you do want a few ideas, which you can find here.
As well as completing the survey yourself, do please encourage all your family and friends who are Edinburgh residents to take part. In the next few days, we will be writing to all Parent Councils to urge them to submit a response – if you are a parent of a child in an Edinburgh school, can you please make sure your Parent Council has (a) received this communication and (b) encourage them to respond.
We’ve shown what we can achieve when we work together. So, please do take a bit of time to complete the survey and let’s Save Our Schools.
Alison
Secretary's Update 26 April 2024
Dear EIS member
I hope you have had a good week and are looking forward to the weekend. A mercifully briefer bulletin today.
Support our fellow members in Glasgow
Many of you will know about Glasgow City Council’s proposals to axe approximately 450 teaching posts over 3 years. This will obviously be devastating for pupils, and for quality education in the city, as well as being horrific for teachers. Please show your support for our colleagues in Glasgow by signing and sharing this petition.
International Workers’ Memorial Day
If you are in central Edinburgh on Sunday, please come along to Princes Street Gardens (west end, close to the Mound and the Gardener’s Cottage) where a number of us will be gathering at 12.30pm to mark International Worker’s Memorial Day, and to lay wreaths in memory of all those who have lost their lives in the course of their work. You can find more information about this, and other events that are coming up, here.
General meeting re: amendments to motions for national AGM
Thanks to all those who came to our meeting to discuss amendments to motions. All four amendments were passed and are now going forward to EIS HQ to be considered. You can find the amendments and, more importantly, all the motions that will be debated at the national AGM here.
Save the date!
We’ll be having our “end of term social” on the evening of Thursday 13th June. This is a great opportunity for us to get together, share ideas, have a blether, meet each other in person and, generally, have a nice time whilst also chatting about what we have done this year and, very importantly, what we will be doing next year. Booking information will be coming out fairly soon but, in the meantime, do pencil in the date.
I’ll be emailing all members next week about the CEC budget. There are also surveys that will be coming out to different groups of members (supply teachers, IMTs etc) to help inform some of our campaigning work, so do keep an eye out for those. In the meantime, I do hope you have a great weekend (despite the cold weather).
A quick reminder from Tom Britton, there will be the first HS&W network meeting for school HS&W reps will taking place on Tuesday 14th May at EIS HQ at 5pm until 7pm. This is an opportunity to establish a regular network in which our HS&W reps can come together for training, support and encouragement. If you are a school HS&W rep, you can register for this event on the EIS Website or email Tom at asstsecretaryedinburghla@eis.org.uk directly.
Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 17 April 2024
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well and enjoyed a good break. I also hope the holiday doesn’t already seem like a distant memory (it does feel a bit like that here…). This is quite a substantial update, so I will get straight to it.
Changes in the LA office
Heather has taken the decision to reduce her hours. At least initially, she will be working 5 mornings a week. However, whilst we are really gutted that she is going to be spending less time supporting us, we are delighted to welcome Marni Kelly, who is our new full time administrative assistant. Over the coming weeks and months, I hope many of you will have a chance to meet Marni at various LA events, and make her welcome to the Edinburgh LA. For now, if you need to contact the office, just email edinburghla@eis.org.uk as usual, or phone 07926 946150, and either Marni or Heather will be able to help you.
Amendments to Motions to the EIS National AGM
I’m delighted to say that nearly all the motions that the Edinburgh LA submitted to EIS HQ have been deemed competent, and are going forward for debate at this year’s national AGM. Many other LAs have also submitted motions, and it is now the time for us to consider if we want to submit amendments to any of these other motions. Remember that amendments are designed to improve or clarify a motion – if we, as an LA, disagree with a motion, it would be for us to debate against it at the AGM. You can find a link to all the motions here. If you decide you want to submit any amendments, they must be received in the office (edinburghla@eis.org.uk) by midday on Wednesday 24th April. The meeting to debate amendments is 5pm on the same day – this will be on Teams, so email the office if you want to come along, and we will send a link. Amendments can be submitted by individual members or by branches – if the former, the person submitting must attend the meeting to speak to the amendment, if the latter, then anyone from the branch can speak to it.
Citywide Recruitment
It is completely understandable that, over the holidays, I have had members get in touch very distressed about the lack of permanent posts available via Citywide Recruitment. If you have emailed and not yet had an individual response, please do accept my apologies and I will try to be in touch soon. Unfortunately, the issue of precarious working, particularly in the primary sector, is not a problem confined to Edinburgh, and the need for the Scottish Government to take action to address this scandal is one that the EIS is raising at every opportunity. We will continue to do what we can at local level (it may be cold comfort to those facing yet another year without security of employment, but there can be little doubt things would be even worse without our successful campaign around this year’s budget) and the President’s committee will be discussing whether there are other options open to us to support members with this very difficult situation.
On a related note, CEC has asked us to remind those going for Citywide recruitment that they will be running an interview preparation session on 2nd May (this will be similar to the one run last year, so is most suitable for new applicants, or people wanting a refresh).
Booking Link here course code for this session - CF2892.
Or you can use this TEAMs link Join the meeting.
International Workers’ Memorial Day and Edinburgh and Lothians May Day Celebrations
You can find more details about both these events here. Edinburgh EIS will be laying a wreath at the IWMD ceremony – this year, it happens on a Sunday, as opposed to mid-week, so please come along if you can. We will also be bringing our flags and banner to the May Day march and rally, so it would be lovely if there a good turn out – email the office if you think you can come along.
Last chance to participate in two important consultations
CEC’s consultations on the future of its libraries, and on its vision for inclusive education, will both be closing very soon. If you have not contributed to either of these, please try to do so soon – the libraries consultation closes on 19th April, and the inclusive education consultation on 5th May. It is vital that teacher voices are heard, and you can find the public facing surveys here. CEC is also launching a consultation on its future budget, and we will send out info about how you can contribute to that soon.
Prevention of Sexual Harassment
CEC is developing a policy aimed at better protecting employees from sexual harassment. This means they need honest accounts of people’s experiences. Some of our equality reps will be taking part in engagement sessions, and there is ongoing discussions with the unions, but it is really important that individual employees speak up – which is, understandably, something many will find very difficult. To that end, CEC has asked us to share the following:
As part of our engagement on this new policy, please complete a short survey to share your views on what the policy should include and what more we can do to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace. Your responses will be treated as completely confidential.
You should have received this info directly from CEC (in a newsbeat article, which had more information) but I’m sending it on again just in case you missed it. Please do share your views.
PRD/PU Session Friday 26 April
There are still places left for this session being held at EIS HQ Training Suite, 46 Moray Place, EH3 6BH. Register here if you would like to attend.
Sorry for the length of this update, but there is a lot going on at the moment, and it is important you are kept informed. No doubt I will be in touch again soon with more info.
In the meantime, stay safe and well (and try to stay warm and dry, which can be a challenge at the moment!) and let’s all keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 22 March 2024
Dear EIS member
Nearly the weekend. And nearly the holidays! Just a few quick updates.
Pensions and other financial queries
Unsurprisingly, this is the time of year when many people find their thoughts turning to retirement. There are some useful links and information here. All members can get financial advice from EISFS. I’d encourage everyone to think about getting in touch with them for a consultation – they don’t just give pensions advice and, anyway, the earlier one starts planning for retirement, the better. EIS Financial Services are also happy to come out to branches to give talks to members, so you might want to arrange that too. Remember that SPPA are taking longer than usual to process pension claims, so those thinking about retiring this year really need to get the paperwork sorted soon.
Back pay and tax
Some members will soon be able to claim back overpaid tax from last year (see here for a reminder about all this). Information will be coming out from EIS HQ soon, detailing how to do this. I’m afraid this is not something we at the local office can help with, so there really is little point in emailing me about this. Advice will be coming soon.
Checking your records
I’ve made this plea before… All members, should, periodically, log into their own CEC HR record (there are guides on how to do this on the Orb) and check that things like sickness absences are properly recorded – especially that the correct reason for absence is shown. Remember that if you are absent due to an accident that happened at work, then it must be recorded as industrial injury and logged on SHE – this does NOT imply fault, and is as true if you are off because you tripped over your own feet in the classroom as if a loose ceiling tile fell on you. If you’ve moved to Edinburgh from another local authority, you should also check that there is a record of your continuous service. Checking these things now can save a world of trouble later…
EIS Membership Status
Please also check your EIS membership details here to see whether we have the correct details for you, we don't know if you've changed school/address/working pattern etc. unless you let us know. If you have difficulty logging in please contact our membership department here.
Educators’ Vigil for Palestine – this Saturday
I hope many of you will be able to go to this event, more information here – a family-friendly vigil, where you can stand in solidarity with the pupils and teachers of Palestine.
Heather is taking a very well-deserved holiday next week, so we will have reduced capacity to respond to queries. Do, please, bear with me if I don’t get back to you as soon as I should. Remember, if it is urgent, you can always drop me a text on 07948 280906 to chase me up – don’t forget to leave your name (I’ve had a few texts lately where people haven’t said who they are, which can make it difficult to track down the initial email/query).
Have a great weekend when it finally arrives. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 14 March 2024
I hope you are well. Hard to believe it is now two weeks until the next holiday… I hope those two weeks go as well as possible for all of us.
It’s been a particularly busy time for the Edinburgh Local Association. Last week we had a very successful LA AGM, with lots of really important motions debated – some of these will now be going forward to national EIS, but others are local matters, and the LA Executive will, over the coming weeks, be looking at what actions we need to take to deliver on these motions and try to improve things for members. We’ve also been in discussion with CEC around their plans following our very successful campaign to Save Our Schools. As I have said before, what we won was a very important reprieve – we are also working hard to build a campaign around permanent protection for schools. We are also looking at how we continue to work on all the other key priorities:
· calling on CEC to provide more permanent contracts;
· supporting members who are involved in compulsory transfers;
· working to improve things for supply teachers;
· workload;
· Behaviours of Concern/Violence at Work and; of course,
· supporting individual members with a range of issues.
If you have been in touch recently and not had a response, I apologise – I’m trying to clear the email backlog this week, but it will take some time. If you don’t hear from me soon, do chase me up. If it’s urgent, try my mobile, or phone the office (both numbers are below).
Workload Survey
PLEASE spend a bit of time this week completing the workload survey from EIS HQ. You can find more information here. We do all appreciate the irony of asking you to do something that, itself, takes time, but it will provide vital evidence to support campaigning to tackle the crisis in teacher workload. All returns have to be submitted by this Sunday (17th March).
WTAs
Working Time Agreements are an important tool in trying to tackle workload. Part of the Edinburgh agreement includes a commitment that all schools will evaluate staff workloads, to help inform WTA negotiations, ideally mid-way through each academic year. If your school hasn’t, so far, done this, then the national workload survey might form a useful starting point. Speak to your school rep and, if it would be helpful, we are happy to come out to schools to offer support.
HT/DHT Network
There is no doubt that the information that HTs shared with us about the implications of budget cuts, and that we were able to present to councillors, had a massive impact, and was one of the key factors in getting CEC to vote to pull the cuts for this year. This shows the power of our HT/DHT network, and I am keen to try to get this onto a more secure footing. If you are not a member of the network, please drop me an email and we will add you to the list. There’ll be some dates for meetings coming out soon.
CEC Colleague Networks
CEC is working to improve the diversity of its workforce, and to provide better support for colleagues with protected characteristics. Part of this involves them being able to hear directly from employees who have different protected characteristics, and their colleague networks are one important way of them being able to do so. The networks are also a valuable way for people to be able to share experiences with each other, and access peer support. You can find more info on these networks here and you might want to consider signing up (this is an intranet link, so you will probably need to be on a CEC computer for it to work).
Inclusion Review
You should all have received further information about the Inclusion Review. It is vital that teachers’ voices are heard in this. The survey is live, and can be accessed here . Following feedback from us, CEC have added some online meetings for teachers, and you can sign up for those here .
Stand Up to Racism – Demonstration in Glasgow on Saturday
It’s not too late to book your free place on the bus going through to Glasgow on Saturday, to join the Stand Up to Racism/STUC march and rally. If you’re going to Glasgow independently, the march starts at 11am outside the BBC on Pacific Quay. Look for the EIS flags and banners.
Sorry for such a lengthy update, but there is a lot going on at the moment. Enjoy your weekend, when it finally arrives, and I hope you are making good plans for a restful holiday in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, stay safe and well and, as always, let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 1 March 2024
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well, and are looking forward to a relaxing weekend. A very quick update, with a few important messages.
Inclusion review
Everyone should have received information about the proposed consultation meetings that CEC is holding to discuss the inclusion review. You can find information here. I would very strongly urge everyone to sign up for one of the engagement sessions. If you are a parent of a child in an Edinburgh school, please do go along to one of the parent consultation sessions. We need as many people as possible to engage with this review.
Elections for council and for National Vice President
Everyone should have received a ballot paper for the election for EIS National Vice-President. Edinburgh EIS has nominated Adam Sutcliffe, and I would urge all members to vote for him. You can find more info about his candidacy here. Secondary members also have an opportunity to vote for local delegates to national EIS Council. Please do return your ballot – participation in elections is a vital part of an active union.
LA AGM
If you are coming along to the LA AGM, please sign up here NOW. We really need final numbers, so that we can sort out catering, paperwork etc.
Lessons in Happiness
Our Edinburgh Learning Reps have organised a free course on “Lessons in Happiness”. More information, and a link to book, is here. This looks like being a really worthwhile course, so please sign up soon – registration has been extended to 8 March.
Alison
Secretary's Update 19 February 2024
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well, and enjoyed the half term.
CEC Budget cuts
Though it was the holiday, we did continue campaigning about the proposed CEC budget cuts. You may have seen some of the press coverage. Final decisions will be made when the council votes on Thursday – but all parties have brought forward budget proposals that, at the least, postpone some of the cuts for a year (with others proposing pulling all the cuts entirely). We will be making a deputation to the full council meeting and, at that meeting, we will be making it clear that we intend to continue our campaign over the coming months, and will be working with parent groups, members and others to ensure that we have a sustainable funding model that enables our schools to deliver a quality education to the children of Edinburgh.
Edinburgh LA AGM
That campaign, and the other work of the LA Executive, will be driven by decisions made by the membership at the Local Association AGM on Wednesday 6th March. We need as many members as possible to come along, so that we can be sure we are representing the views of the entire membership. You can book an in-person ticket here and, if you want to attend virtually, email for a Teams invite. At the meeting, we will be debating, and voting on, these motions. If you want to amend any of these motions, those amendments must be emailed to edinburghla@eis.org.uk by 10am on Friday 1st March. Note that amendments should aim to clarify or improve motions – if you disagree with a motion, then you should come along to the meeting and speak against it. Healthy debate around motions is to be welcomed!
Lessons in Happiness
Our Edinburgh Learning Reps have organised a free course on “Lessons in Happiness”. More information, and a link to book, is here. This looks like being a really worthwhile course, so please sign up soon – registration will close this Friday.
EIS Equality Rep Training
EIS HQ is running a course for those interested in becoming Equality Reps. You can find more information, and how to sign up here.
Survey on Reasonable Adjustments
The STUC are carrying out a survey on reasonable adjustments. Whilst primarily aimed at reps (and I’d urge all reps to complete this), it might also be helpful if those members who have experience of negotiating reasonable adjustments for themselves filled it in. The survey is here.
Stand up for Quality Education Cluster Meeting
We are holding a cluster meeting to discuss the SQ4UE Campaign, at 1.30 - 3.30pm on Friday 23rd February at Sighthill PS, 1 Calder Park, Edinburgh, EH11 4NF. Email Phill Pearce if you are interested in attending.
I’ll be in touch again soon, particularly with more information about the budget. In the meantime, I hope you have a good week.
Alison
Secretary's Update 14 February 2024 - Save Our Schools
Dear EIS member,
Yesterday, Edinburgh EIS delivered the "Save Our Schools" petition to Council Leader Cammy Day and convener of the Finance Committee, Mandy Watt. Over 3,500 of us have called on Cammy to protect Edinburgh’s schools from savage cuts that would decimate education provision and massively impact on the children of our city.
Over the last few weeks, since the cuts were announced, we've been intensively lobbying all the political parties, and making it clear the long term costs if they go ahead with the proposals. The strong support for our petition was key to our efforts, and we have had some assurances that alternatives have been found for this year at least. We'll know the details tomorrow, when budget proposals are published.
However, what most parties are proposing is a postponement - better than nothing, but the children of Edinburgh need these cuts to be permanently revoked. Be assured that we'll be campaigning throughout the coming months to ensure this happens and, with your support, we can Save Our Schools.
Best wishes,
Alison Murphy
Secretary's Update 9 February 2024
Dear EIS member
Almost the holiday!!! I’m sure you need a break even more than I do (and I am most certainly ready for a few days off…). A few quick things before we all switch off, though.
Budget
A massive thanks to everyone who has taken action in support of our campaign against CEC’s proposed education cuts. We’ve been able to make a really powerful case to councillors about why these cuts should not go ahead, and quite a few are saying that they will not support them. However, it is not yet certain that they will be pulled. The next few days, when all the parties are doing the final horse trading, will be crucial. So, a flurry of emails from residents would really help, as would a very high number of signatures on our petition. Links and more info here. Please sign!
Probationers
Whilst info from HQ indicates that most Edinburgh probationers have joined the EIS, it’s also clear that many have not updated their info to show what school they are in. We really do need probationer and all members to keep their contact details up to date. I am also worried that some probationers may not have updated their bank details to ensure that their membership does not lapse when their free membership ends. There are few things worse than being contacted by someone who needs support because of an incident at work, and having to say that I can’t do anything because they are not a member. So, please do make sure your details are up to date.
ESBs
I’ve been contacted by a lot of members with concerns around this. Be assured that we are asking a lot of questions of senior CEC officers, and we hope to have answers soon. If not, we will be escalating matters.
LA AGM
It’d be great to see lots of you at this, whether virtually or in person. A technical glitch meant it was showing as full, but there are still plenty of places, book your place here. Email the LA Office to let us know whether you will be attending online or in person.
Stand up for Quality Education Cluster Meeting
We are holding a cluster meeting to discuss the SQ4UE Campaign, at 1.30 - 3.30pm on Friday 23rd February at Sighthill PS, 1 Calder Park, Edinburgh, EH11 4NF. Email Phill Pearce if you are interested in attending.
Learning Reps News
A reminder that there are some CPD events planned in March and April, you can find more information on the Learning Reps latest bulletin here.
Once again, thanks to everyone who has been working to support our campaign about the budget cuts, and other aspects of our Stand Up for Quality Education campaign. We are showing what a strong, active union can do when all members are involved.
Have a great half term, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 31 January 2024
Dear EIS member
I hope you’re having a good week. A quick update with some important, non-budget matters, some of which are very time sensitive. But please don’t forget about signing the petition, emailing councillors etc – the next few days are critical in the campaign (info and links here).
GTCS Elections
PLEASE use your vote in the GTCS elections, and ensure that the EIS-endorsed candidates are successful. You can find details here. A particular shout out to secondary members to vote for Edinburgh’s own Andy McPake, who is on our local executive, and who is standing in the secondary category. It would be great if all Edinburgh’s secondary members voted for him! Deadline is 9th February, so please use your vote.
Workplace Parking Levy
As already mentioned in earlier bulletins, CEC is consulting on the introduction of a workplace parking levy. This will obviously have big impacts on a lot of members. It is important that CEC hears from as many people as possible. So please complete the consultation, which closes on Tuesday 6th February.
Learning Reps
2 events coming up that our Learning Reps are organising:
Lessons In Happiness course - 15 March 2024 – register here
Looking Forward to PRD/PU Session – 26 April 2024 – register here
I’ll be in touch again soon, with more info regarding the Save Our Schools campaign, our LA AGM (register here), Stand Up for Quality Education, and other key updates. In the meantime, though, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 19 January 2024
Dear EIS Member
Budget cuts
Some of you may have seen press coverage of the proposals around cuts to education budget. That was based on leaks of draft proposals. The details of what is being set forward were finally published late yesterday, and the reality is awful. If you go to page 152 of this document, you will see the details. As you would expect, over the coming days, we will be lobbying and campaigning to get CEC to reverse this decision, and to not take such a huge amount away from education. More details to follow soon. As you would expect, we will be presenting evidence to councillors and others about the impacts of these cuts. If you have specific examples or evidence that you think would be useful in shaping those presentations, then email edinburghla@eis.org.uk (from personal email accounts) and we will try to fold that into our campaigning work.
Nominations for National Council, National AGM and Local Association Executive Committee. Also, notification of the Local Association AGM
These cuts are further evidence of the need for a strong, active union. The Local Association, and the EIS nationally, can only work effectively when we have a range of members from all sectors, and with a range of backgrounds and experience, involved in the LA Executive; attending national EIS Council and the national AGM; acting as Office Bearers; and ensuring that what we are doing is what our members need. Please think about whether you can become more involved. There are a range of opportunities coming up - you can find more information and nomination forms here.
We are particularly keen to get more members onto the Local Executive Committee - this is the main decision-making body of the LA, and thus needs to be as representative as possible. We normally meet once a month, on the first Wednesday of the month – the majority of meetings are on Teams, but some are in-person here at Moray Place. The 1st of February is the deadline for submitting nomination forms for the LA Executive Committee, for attending the national AGM, for joining the national EIS Council, and for standing as a local Office Bearer. Links to access nomination forms are here.
The Local Association AGM is going to be on Wednesday 6th March at 5pm at the Edinburgh Training and Conference Venue, 16 St Mary’s Street EH1 1SU. We need lots of members to come along. If you can attend in person, please book here. We will be providing a buffet, so that will help us plan numbers. If you would rather attend virtually, email edinburghla@eis.org.uk and we will, a bit nearer the time, send out a Teams link.
The LA AGM sets the priorities for the Local Association for the coming year, via the motions that are carried at the meeting, as well as being a chance for members to hear reports from the office bearers about what the Local Association has been doing over the past 12 months. So please come along to listen to what has been done, participate in the debates, vote for what you think we should be doing, and even propose a motion about something you think we should be working on. You can find more information about submitting a motion here. The deadline for submitting motions is Friday 9th February at 10am (email them to edinburghla@eis.org.uk). We're particularly keen to get motions from school branches, so do think about holding a branch meeting to discuss what you might want to submit (I will be emailing reps about this). However, it is open to individual members to submit motions as well - you can find out more if you read the guide. Do note that motions can relate to local or national matters (the latter are, if passed, submitted to the national EIS for consideration at the national AGM in June) but must relate to matters within the competency of the EIS. I'm more than happy to try to advise people on what might, or might not, be a suitable topic for a motion. Writing competent motions is an art, so I would strongly advise anyone thinking of submitting something to contact the office in advance, to get some guidance about how to frame things.
As I said, the EIS is at its strongest when the full membership is involved. So please play your part by coming to the LA AGM, and by considering standing for National Council & AGM, joining the LA Executive, and even standing for local office. It would be particularly great if those who feel we could be doing a better job got more involved. The EIS really is a member-led union – all our key actions and decisions are driven by local and national AGMs, by national Council meetings and by the local Executive Committee, so if you think there are things we should be doing differently, or ways we could work more effectively, come along, have your say and help us do better!
Many thanks and, as always, stay safe and well, and keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 1 December 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well, and managing to keep warm (BTW: if you are having issues with heating in your school, or other H&S issues, and they can’t be resolved internally, our Edinburgh LA Asst Secretary, Tom Britton, will be able to help, email him here.
A few key updates for you before the weekend:
Introduction to the new CEC Grievance Policy
Raising a grievance is a key mechanism for addressing employment issues – and it is one that we are likely to need to use more as we try to address long-standing issues through our Stand Up for Quality Education campaign. I’m running a short online introduction to the new CEC grievance policy that went live in October. There’s a choice of dates – Monday 4th December or Tuesday 23rd January, both at 5pm and on Teams. Email the office if you want an invite to either.
Edinburgh LA Social – the Big Blether. January 25th, 6pm downstairs in The Angels Share, Hope Street, Edinburgh
We are a union, and central to that is collective action. And collective action happens best when we can share ideas and experiences. Which is why we have, for the last while, been running social gatherings where members can get together to chat through things in an informal way. We hope some of our national office bearers will also be there, so there will also be a chance for you to hear about what is happening across Scotland. And it’s a great opportunity for us to show our gratitude to our reps and activists. Our next such gathering will be on 25th January (a time of year when a free buffet and drinks might be particularly welcome… 😊). Previous such events have been very enjoyable, so please come along if you can. You can book your free ticket here - please let us know about any special dietary or access requirements.
Workplace Parking Levy
Edinburgh is currently consulting on the introduction of a workplace parking levy. We will be making a submission on behalf of the Local Association – but, of course, that will have to be general in nature. Many of you may have specific points you want to raise, and I would urge you to do so via the consultation hub here. It is very important that Edinburgh hears from everyone who has views on this proposal, so please do make sure you have your say.
Climate Action
9th December is a Day of Action for the climate. Go here to find out more.
Pension information and update
We’ve had the following update from HQ, for those with queries about pensions:
There is a lot of information on our website that will be of interest and this link will inform you of the choices you have with regards to your options here . You are able to obtain your Annual Benefit Statement from SPPA by logging in or registering via this link . If the details on your statement are correct you can then use the online calculators to obtain pension figures and there is now a calculator there which addresses the 2015 Remedy.
Legislation for the remedy to the age discrimination issue is yet to be put in place and our website will be updated with any further developments as they happen here . The administrative and legislative changes required should be in place after April 2024. Please have a look at our FAQs.
We will organise general sessions for members later in the year to answer questions on the McCloud remedy and retirement process including using the calculators. Dates will be announced in the member bulletin.
I hope you have a good weekend. I look forward to seeing some of you at our online training and/or our social in January. And let’s work together to Stand Up for Quality Education!
Alison
Secretary's Update 30 November 2023
Dear EIS member
Hopefully everyone has received an email from EIS HQ, sharing the very shocking and disturbing (if not, alas, surprising) data from the recent national survey of schools about violence and aggression. Firstly, I’d like to thank every Edinburgh branch that participated - the very high return rate means that this survey has an extremely high level of validity, and has had to be taken seriously by everyone involved in education in Scotland. It is a good example of how collective union action can have a significant impact. As well as the extensive national coverage, we have also been highlighting our local data with both CEC and local media – some of you might have seen this article and you can find our full press release here. As you would expect, we will continue to raise these matters as widely as we can, in efforts to bring about positive change.
We have, here in Edinburgh, been highlighting this issue for some time (many of you will remember the reaction to our 2018 survey, which first laid bare the scale of the problem). This means that we already have some good policies in place. Every school should now have: a named coordinator, with responsibility for this area; a functional H&S committee, with membership from both teaching and support staff, that meets on a monthly basis; clear policies and procedures to (a) minimise the risk of incidents in the first place and (b) support staff when they do occur; clear protocols around recording incidents etc. The recently updated CEC framework document, and the ppt used to launch it with H&S committees, can be found here and the recording of the briefing held for staff is here. We are also working on local materials that highlight some key concerns and that will be distributed to branches soon, as a further support in tackling unacceptable behaviours (including from parents/carers) and I hope those will begin appearing in staff rooms soon.
Of course, all the policies in the world are useless if they are not being adhered to, so our first priority is working with branches to ensure compliance. If CEC’s protocols are not being followed in your school, you should first raise this with your school rep and/or your SLT. If you cannot do so for any reason, or if problems remain, get in touch with the office and we will offer support. Where protocols are being followed, and yet unacceptable behaviours continue, we will work with branches to escalate the matter beyond school level (a process that has already begun in some branches). Fundamentally, work shouldn’t hurt, and we need to make that a reality, and not a pipe dream, in all our schools. But this will take collective action – this is a situation that has built up over many years, and where the causes are multiple and complex, so achieving a significant improvement is going to take hard work. However, we have shown what we can achieve as a union if we work together, so let’s take our strength and use it to make our schools safe places to work and to learn.
Let us, together, Stand Up for Quality Education!
Alison
Secretary's Update 17 November 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you had a good week. It’s certainly been a busy one here in the LA office…
STUC St Andrew’s Day March and Rally
The STUC has a long, proud history of challenging racism, antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of discrimination – something that is more important now than ever. A key part of this is the annual STUC St Andrew’s Day march and rally, and the EIS is keen to have a large presence at this. We will be going across with the Edinburgh LA banner, and would love to have lots of you join us. We will cover travel expenses (do keep a photo of your bus/train ticket, and email the office for a claim form). You can find details of where to meet etc here.
Stand Up for Quality Education
We had a very positive campaign meeting on Wednesday. It was great to be able to hear from members about the challenges they are facing – but also about the successes they have already had in their schools around making improvements. Going forward, we intend to get better at sharing our success stories – it is too easy to feel like everything only ever gets worse but there is no doubt that, though this is one of the most difficult periods in education (and the whole public sector) in a generation, there are things we can do to make a positive difference. We will be holding similar campaign meetings in schools around the city in the coming months (in hopes that different locations will make it easier for people to attend) so do keep an eye out for those. In the meantime, every branch should have received a box of merchandise, and it would be great to be getting pictures of those materials being used in schools (time to refresh that noticeboard?). If you haven’t received yours, drop me an email at edinburghla@eis.org.uk. Also get in touch if you want one of the office bearers to come out to your school to speak to members about the campaign – or, indeed, about anything that might be a concern.
Behaviours of Concern
Every school should now have a functioning H&S committee that meets on a monthly basis, has representatives from both teaching and support staff, and discusses a range of issues related to health, safety and wellbeing – including responses to Behaviours of Concern. If you are not aware of what is happening at your school, first talk to your school rep and/or your SLT. If concerns remain, get in touch with Edinburgh LA Asst Secretary, Tom Britton, who is leading on H&S, (email him on asstsecretaryedinburghla@eis.org.uk) and we can offer support.
Grievance Policy
CEC recently revised its grievance policy. This is a procedure that is open to all staff and, whilst we would always hope that matters can be resolved informally, there are times when it is necessary to pursue employment issues via this more formal channel. I am going to be running a training session that is an introduction to the new policy – when and how to use it, when collective grievances might be appropriate etc. Whilst primarily aimed at reps, the importance of this policy means I am happy for all members to attend. The session will run twice, 4th December or 23rd January; in each case it is a Teams meeting starting at 5pm. Email the office if you want a Teams invite. If there is sufficient demand, I will look at further sessions in the new year.
I hope you have a good weekend, and I look forward to seeing lots of you in Glasgow next Saturday. In the meantime, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 31 October 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well, and are getting a chance to enjoy the brief sight of sunshine before the rain comes back. A few important updates for you.
UNISON strike next week
Obviously the unions hope that CEC will do as they did last time, and have a blanket approach across all schools when our UNISON colleagues go out on strike next Wednesday (8th). My understanding is that risk assessments are being carried out as we speak, and that a decision should be made, and communicated to everyone, tomorrow. Regardless of whether CEC does go for the same across all establishments, or adopts a school-by-school approach, there are a few things it is worth you remembering…
· Whether or not CEC closes schools to pupils, teaching staff will be expected to be in the building. And will not be able to bring their own children in. CEC’s line is that staff have had two week’s notice of the strike (the date was announced last Wednesday, and Andrew Kerr sent out an email to everyone straight afterwards) and, thus, they maintain that this is sufficient time to make alternative arrangements about childcare. I know that some members will find this very difficult, and it is always worth a member talking to their HT about their particular circumstances – but the default assumption is likely to be that, if someone needs to take the day because of child care, it will be unpaid (obviously, in those circumstances, they MUST NOT be expected to be doing any work at all – if it’s an unpaid day, you can’t also be working!).
· During the earlier 3 days of action, UNISON were incredibly grateful for the way EIS members supported their picket lines. Please do the same again – standing with our colleagues for even a few moments before the bell goes, and you have to report for work, really is appreciated.
· The EIS advice to members, and HT members, is here https://www.eis.org.uk/in-education/supportstaffstrike.
· I will be emailing our HT network members separately in a little while, with some more specific advice.
Stand Up for Quality Education – Edinburgh Campaign meeting Wednesday 15th November
As previously announced, we are holding a local campaign meeting on Wednesday 15th November, 5-7pm at Moray Place (food from 4.30pm). This meeting seeks to look at how we can work together to achieve the aims of the Stand Up for Quality Education Campaign. We’ll be hearing the latest about the national picture from National Vice-President Allan Crosbie, and then we will be discussing how we can take action at local and school level to actually make a real difference for teachers and pupils… You can book a place here https://SU4QE.eventbrite.co.uk . Please do try to come along.
Education Welfare Officers
We’re continuing to work very closely with Unison and Unite to try to protect the vital EWO service. CEC has just announced an extension to the consultation, to allow more time for feedback from schools. If you have any insight into this at all, PLEASE take a few minutes to give your feedback – the new deadline is Friday 10th November. You can find the consultation documentation can here.
https://orb.edinburgh.gov.uk/organisational-review-3/staffing-models-attendance-review and any feedback on the proposal can be e-mailed to attendance.review@edinburgh.gov.uk.
Reducing class contact time
A reminder to all members about the importance of following up on the request from EIS HQ to email SNP MSPs to remind them about their own manifesto commitment to reduce class contact time to 21 hours. This would not only go some way towards beginning to address the fact that we have some of the highest levels of class contact anywhere in the OECD but, by creating the need for more teachers, it would help all our colleagues who are currently stuck on temporary contracts, or doing supply work, because of the lack of permanent posts (the need to address precarious work in teaching is a major focus of national campaigning – see, for example, https://www.eis.org.uk/latest-news/lettertofm23, and national officers and officials have been raising this in the Scottish Parliament and other forums). You should have had an email from HQ with a personalised link to use to help in sending that email – if you did not get it for any reason, email membership@eis.org.uk.
As always, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on looking after each other – and, especially, our amazing support staff, who need our support in their fight for fair pay.
Alison
Secretary's Update 13 October 2023
Dear EIS member
Half term is here (well, maybe in a few hours, depending on when you are reading this). A few updates for you before you switch off for a well deserved break.
Stand Up for Quality Education Campaign
The goals of the SU4QE campaign will only be achieved if we take the energy and collectivism seen in our successful pay campaign, and apply those to targeted actions at school, local and national levels. This is not something that can be done by officer bearers, or even reps, working for members – just as in the pay campaign, it will take the whole membership working together to win real change.
A couple of actions you can take…
Hopefully everyone has seen the email from EIS HQ, asking all members to write to their SNP MSP(s), calling on them to fulfil their manifesto commitment to reduce class contact time to 21 hours. Please do spend a few minutes over half term doing just this. There’s a guide to help you in the email you received from EIS HQ on Saturday 7th October.
Attend our local campaign meeting – Wednesday 15th November 5-7pm in Moray Place (note the change of date – see below for the reason). At this meeting, we are going to look at how we can make the rhetoric around this campaign a reality in our schools – how will we identify specific demands at school level that will make things better; what strategies can we use to pursue change etc. It’s not just for reps – we’re keen for as many members as possible to come along, so please sign up. You can register for the meeting here https://SU4QE.eventbrite.co.uk
Behaviours of concern
This is a huge priority for us, and we are doing a lot of work to try to get actions that will improve things for staff and pupils. One thing that we feel is key is recognising that this is, as much as anything, a health and safety issue, and CEC is now agreeing that school H&S committees will have a key role to play in ensuring that policies and procedures are followed, and that staff are supported. They will be holding a national briefing meeting for all H&S committee members on Wednesday 8th November, so if you are on your school’s H&S committee, please make sure you go along (this is why we have shifted the date of our campaign meeting, so that people can prioritise this).
Flu vaccines
Somewhat to my own surprise, I am now old enough to qualify for a flu jab just on that basis. However, this will not be true for many of you. I am told that if you go to https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vaccinations/book-flu-vaccination/, and follow the various links, younger teachers will find that they are eligible for the free NHS jab, as long as they tick the box to say they work in a school.
Various upcoming events of interest
Do keep an eye on https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/latest, where we put up information about events likely to be of interest to members. Two things that we’ve recently added are a fundraiser for medical aid to Palestinians, and a free screening of the latest Ken Loach film.
Best wishes for a good half term. I do hope you all have a really good break and are able to switch off properly. I look forward to seeing many of you after the holiday, at our meeting on 15th November.
In the meantime, stay safe and well, enjoy the holiday, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 5 October 2023
Dear EIS member
The weekend is nearly here... As, indeed, is half term. – something I am sure many of us feel can’t come fast enough… 😊 A couple of important updates for you. I also want to let you know that Heather is taking some extremely well deserved leave this afternoon and tomorrow, so we will be without admin support in the LA office (partly why I am getting this bulletin out now) – please be patient with us if this means we don’t get back to you quickly.
Stand Up For Quality Education – Campaign meeting 8th November at 5pm in Moray Place
The EIS’s campaign, Stand Up for Quality Education, means all of us working together to challenge: excessive workload; the problems of distressed behaviours, violence and aggression in classrooms; the chronic lack of support around ASN. We’ll have to know how to identify school level improvements, understand how to raise collective grievances when matters don’t improve, and know what other levers exist to make things better for both teacher and pupils. This will only happen when all members work together in branches to push for the changes they want to see.
Please come along to Moray Place at 5pm on Wednesday 8th November, where we will look at how we can shape this campaign in Edinburgh’s schools. We’ll cover the key messages of the campaign, feedback from the local and national surveys on pupil behaviour, cover when and how to raise collective grievances, and look at what other actions we need to take.
You can register for this here https://SU4QE.eventbrite.co.uk .
EWO Review
As some of you will know, the budget CEC passed in February included a cut to the Educational Welfare Officer service. The proposals around this are now out for formal consultation, and basically mean that the entire service is going to be deleted. It is the EIS view that there are no properly costed plans to replace the incredibly valuable work that our EWOs do with some of the most vulnerable children and families in the city – instead, the assumption seems to be that schools can absorb the work with no additional resource being provided. We are working closely with our local government trade union colleagues to call on CEC to pause this cut, and to look again at how we can best support pupils with poor attendance. Whilst we will continue to lobby on this, consultation information has been sent out to HTs, and I would urge all those likely to be impacted by this to make sure you read the documentation and also to send comments to the consultation email address so they can be logged on the Change Impact Assessment.
The address is attendance.review@edinburgh.gov.uk (if you cannot get hold of the documentation, email me and I will try to send a link once I have orb access, which I don’t have right now).
Once again, I hope you have a good weekend, when it finally arrives. In the meantime, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind! And I hope to see you on 8th November.
Alison
Secretary's Update 29 September 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well, and looking forward to the weekend. I also hope the last three days went as smoothly as was possible. This will be a very brief bulletin, but I wanted to let you know that I have been contacted by members, reps and senior officials from CEC’s Unison branch, all of whom wanted to say how grateful they were for the support given to them by EIS members. From visiting picket lines (many of you bringing snacks and treats) to telling support staff how much you value their work to – probably the most important thing of all – refusing to do work of striking colleagues, all these actions helped strengthen our UNISON colleagues in their strike, and let them know that we all realise that schools simply can’t function without support staff. And those support staff deserve a fair wage.
We will, over the next few days and weeks, be talking to the other unions to see how things went over this period, and what lessons we need to learn in case of further action (and, indeed, what lessons can be carried over into other situations involving school closures). And, of course, we will continue to do all we can to support our support staff in their fight to be properly paid.
Learning Rep Bulletin
The latest bulletin from the Edinburgh Learning Reps can be found here https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/learningreps.
Enjoy the weekend, when it finally arrives. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other, and especially to our support staff.
Alison
Secretary's Update 25 September 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you have had a good week, and that the new session is going well. A fairly substantial update today…
National branch survey on pupil behaviour
As I hope you all know, pupil behaviour is one of the key themes in our Stand Up for Quality Education Campaign (https://www.eis.org.uk/campaigns/qualityeducation). All reps have been sent a survey that is to be completed by branches (not individual members). We have been in touch with reps with more info about this – but, if your rep has not been able to organise this yet, why not speak to them and offer to help? We really do need as many branches as possible to complete the survey, so that we can have robust evidence to bring to Scottish Government and others. We will, shortly, be emailing schools that do not have reps to try to organise completing the survey but, if you are in such a school and would be willing to help, please email edinburghla@eis.org.uk and we can get this sorted.
Edinburgh College dispute
Our colleagues in the Edinburgh College branch of EIS-FELA are currently in dispute over the compulsory redundancy of the local EIS-FELA H&S rep. They took strike action before the summer, and are returning to the picket lines on Monday. Edinburgh EIS stands in solidarity with them – if you go to https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/fela you can find out more and, very importantly, read the request from the branch for messages of support to be sent to college management. A collective response has gone in from the Edinburgh LA, but individual members writing emails would be great. There are also details about FELA picket lines and, if any member is not working on any of the days those are happening, I know they would welcome support.
Supply Teachers
All supply teachers should have received a message from CEC, via Teacher Booker, inviting them to a session looking at how Teacher Booker works, going over key aspects of the supply handbook and taking questions. I would urge supply teachers to attend as some of the issues that people having been having, and that they have contacted me about, have turned out to be technical problems that can be rectified if one understands the system. However, there are also wider issues around supply, and I would like to invite all EIS members who are on the supply list, and would like to discuss issues relevant to them, to attend a Teams meeting at 5pm on Monday 4th September. Email edinburghla@eis.org.uk for an invite. It would be helpful if those coming were able to give me an indication of topics they would like to discuss, or questions they might have, in advance of the meeting, in hopes we can structure an agenda that will allow all concerns to be addressed.
Anti racist actions
Show Racism the Red Card and the EIS are collaborating on the Scottish Schools Showcase – this is a great opportunity for pupils of all ages to produce works with an anti-racist theme, and have them showcased nationally. More information here: https://www.theredcard.org/news/srtrc-and-the-eis-announce-the-scottish-schools-showcase-2023/
The next phase of the inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayou begins on Monday. The EIS will be standing alongside trade unionists and activists in support of the family. There is more information, and links to resources, here https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/latest.
Are your details correct?
Many of you will be familiar with my regular pleas to check that your details on the EIS database are correct (you can do this by logging in to the member area of www.eis.org.uk). However, I would also urge members to check that your employment records with CEC are also correct. There have been several cases lately where members have found out that they are on the wrong pay point, or that the hours they thought they had on their part time contract were incorrect, or that their continuous service is not correctly recorded – which can massively impact on sick pay entitlements (and remember that continuous service counts across councils – you don’t go back to square one if you move from one LA to another without a break - see https://www.snct.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Part_2_Section_6). So, do, please, log into your MyHR records and double check. If in doubt, first speak to your BM, then try HR and, if you still can’t get the record corrected, get in touch with me.
Member networks
There are a range of national EIS networks that some of you may wish to join https://www.eis.org.uk/networks/networks-home. We are also developing local networks – currently, these are for BAME members, ASN teachers, and HTs/DHTs. We are also in the early stages of developing an equalities network. If you are interested in any of these, please get in touch. Equally, if you want to help in setting up another local network, please do say. I will, very shortly, be emailing HT and DHT network members, to set up a meeting, as we have a range of crucial matters to discuss (from workload to budget to…) so, if any HT or DHT member wants to be involved, please let me know ASAP. Do also remember that that we are keen to have a wide and diverse membership of the Edinburgh LA Executive Committee, in order to better represent all members – if you’d like to find out more about what is involved, either drop me an email, or go to https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/getinvolved to find out more.
As I said, a substantial update, but hopefully a helpful one. I’ll be sending out more information soon, including reminders about the importance of reasonable adjustments, but I think the above is probably enough for everyone to be going on with…
I do hope you have a good weekend, when it finally arrives. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 21 September 2023
Dear EIS member
I’ve been holding off sending this email, due to the uncertainty around next week’s planned strike action by our Unison colleagues. However, if the STV news headlines are accurate, it would seem that UNISON are rejecting the offer, and the strikes are still on. Obviously if that turns out not to be the case, please ignore the following!
Unions were not, after all, able to meet with CEC senior officers yesterday (we were available, but CEC officers could not make it). But we have submitted a number of questions, and we await either written answers, or further clarification in a meeting scheduled to happen tomorrow morning. I won’t go over all of our questions here, but a couple of key ones I suspect most of you will want to know we are raising are:
· What are the expectations re: live lessons? If what CEC is requiring is for staff to upload activities to Teams, answer emails/queries in chat etc then that is probably fair enough. Obviously the expectations about how much to upload etc need to be reasonable, and if people are being asked to do too much it should be challenged, but the basic principle is acceptable (though CEC itself notes that there is an inequity because not all children will have access to devices, and states that paper-based exercises can be a reasonable alternative – they also point HTs towards existing banks of online materials, and the assumption should be that those are used wherever possible, to reduce workload). However, if CEC are requiring all staff to do live lessons/check-ins to camera, then we do have an issue, and we have asked for both clarification as to whether that is required, and the risk assessments around this.
· Childcare… CEC’s website still says:
Due to a school closing because of strike action, my normal care arrangements have broken down. What should I do?
As the strike will have been publicised in advance, we expect employees to put contingency arrangements in place. As such, family care provisions for a breakdown in normal childcare arrangements will not normally apply on that strike day except in exceptional circumstances and where approved.
The unions have pointed out that this is unreasonable (especially given that there is still uncertainty as to whether the strikes will actually go ahead – people have not had enough time to make plans). I’ve also said that, if they do stick to this, and also do not allow home working for people with childcare issues, thus forcing staff to take unpaid leave, then those staff will not be doing any work on those days – and will not be planning any learning activities in advance, either. It would be utterly and completely unacceptable for people to both lose pay and be expected to prepare work for those unpaid days. This will have a detrimental impact on a significant number of children, who will be without learning for those days. We are still awaiting a response on this.
I know that this still leaves a lot of questions, and a lot of anxiety for everyone. Hopefully we will know more tomorrow, and I will get information out to members as soon as I can. In the meantime, do keep an eye on both the national EIS advice https://www.eis.org.uk/in-education/supportstaffstrike and on CEC’s own FAQs etc Industrial action – The City of Edinburgh Council Intranet. It should also be noted that the EIS strongly supports our fellow trade unionists – every one of us knows what a vital job our support staff do, and they are most certainly underpaid, and often undervalued. I have already been in touch with UNISON to ask about their plans for pickets, rallies etc and, as soon as we have details, we will pass that info on (either to all members or to reps).
I’ll be in touch again as soon as I know more. In the meantime, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other – and especially to our support staff!
Alison
Secretary's Update 15 September 2023
Dear EIS member
The long weekend is finally here! A few important updates before you sign off…
Pupil Behaviour Survey
Many thanks to the dozens of branches who have completed the survey on pupil behaviour. As you will have seen from the recent national bulletin from HQ, the deadline for submission has been extended to 29th September. So, if your school has not yet had a meeting to discuss and submit, PLEASE try and do this now. Office bearers and organisers have already been out to branches to help with this, especially where schools don’t have reps, so if you want some help to ensure your voice is heard, please get in touch ASAP.
Education Support
Finding ways to support members is core to our work. Yesterday, several members of the LA Executive, and other members, met with a representative from Education Support, to discuss ways we can work together to help teachers, and all working in education. Whilst our ultimate aim is to develop joint working to address structural issues, and effect long term change, there is immediate support available that many of you might find of real help. This ranges from small grants to those in financial distress to mental health resources and a helpline staffed by qualified counsellors. Go to https://www.educationsupport.org.uk/ to see if there is anything that might be of use to you.
Global Action – end fossil fuels
Trade unions and other groups will be taking part in a family-friendly march on Saturday, calling on governments to end reliance on fossil fuels. We’ll be gathering on The Mound at 11am – see https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/latest for details - and it would be lovely if some of you could come and march with the Local Association.
Industrial action
The recent national bulletin included information about what members can do to show support for colleagues who will soon be taking part in strike action in support of their claim for fair pay (and, of course, it also outlined what we cannot do, due to restrictive anti-trade union legislation). CEC trade unions have asked CEC about their plans for schools during the strike days – we reiterated the fact that our members will not be doing work normally done by striking colleagues, and emphasised the health and safety implications of trying to run schools without our vital support staff. Hopefully we will get some clarity soon.
I hope you all enjoy the long weekend and make the most of the Monday holiday. Fingers crossed for some more sunshine…
Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 2 September 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well, and looking forward to the weekend. A few key updates for you before you finish.
Supply teacher meeting – Monday 4th at 5pm on Teams
Email us for an invite. It would be very helpful if people could let me have any specific questions in advance of the meeting, so I can see if I can get answers.
HT/DHT network meeting – Tuesday 12th September at 5pm on Teams
More detailed info as already been sent to those HT and DHT members who are part of our network. If you are a HT or DHT member who hasn’t signed up to this, please email the office for information, and an invite.
Industrial action by Unison
I’ll be able to give out more specific information about this once Unison have formally notified CEC of when they intend to take industrial action, and when we know what CEC are intending to do in response. Be assured that we will do all we can to support our fellow trade unionists in their campaign for fair pay, though the anti-trade union laws do place massive constraints on what is possible, and we clearly cannot take part in any form of unofficial industrial action. As well as more detailed updates to all members when we have more information, I will be covering this in meetings with reps, and with the HT/DHT network. Do also look out for advice from EIS HQ, which will cover the legal aspects of what we can and cannot do.
Edinburgh LA Executive Committee
The first meeting of the Edinburgh LA Executive is this coming Wednesday. The LA Executive is the governing body of the Local Association. It sets policy and priorities, and oversees the work of the Office Bearers. Further, debate at the Executive is a crucial way of us gathering information about what is happening across the city – which can be most effectively done where membership of the Executive reflects the full make-up of our membership. So, please think about whether you could get involved. We always welcome new members! Go to https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/edinburghexecutivemembers to find out more.
Menopause Guidance
CEC has guidance on supporting employees through the menopause https://www.eis.org.uk/Content/Edinburgh/images/Menopause.pdf . This guidance covers the entire council workforce, so is quite general – clearly the specific actions that can be taken in a small primary school in a Victorian building might be quite different from what can be done in a large secondary in a more modern building (and are very different again for those based in offices, libraries, recycling centres etc). So, each school ought to develop specific guidance and advice that is applicable to their circumstances – referring to the EIS advice here https://www.eis.org.uk/gender-equality/womenworkplace will help with this. This is probably best done via your school H&S committee, which ought to be meeting on a monthly basis. Get in touch if you want further help with this. Anyone who wants to know more about how school H&S committees should be operating can contact our Edinburgh LA Assistant Secretary, Tom Britton, asstsecretaryedinburghla@eis.org.uk, who is leading on H&S.
Support for neurodivergent staff
As teachers, we do a huge amount to support neurodivergent pupils. We are not, always, quite so good about ensuring that similar support is in place for colleagues. Anyone who wants to see if additional support is available should request an OH referral, and make sure that they ask their manager to tick the box requesting a neurodiversity assessment. If anyone thinks they will need additional help in this area – perhaps in ensuring that reasonable adjustments are in place – contact the LA office.
Edinburgh College Industrial Action – Compulsory Redundancy of Union Official
Our colleagues in Edinburgh EIS-FELA are continuing with their strike action around the targeting of the branch H&S officer for compulsory redundancy. Please go to https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/fela to find out more. They would really appreciate messages of support from both individuals and branches.
National Survey on Pupil Behaviour
Thanks to those branches that have already completed this. Hopefully all other branches have plans to do so in the next fortnight – if you need any help, do get in touch.
I look forward to seeing some of you at the various meetings that are coming up. Best wishes for a restful weekend. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 25 August 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you have had a good week, and that the new session is going well. A fairly substantial update today…
National branch survey on pupil behaviour
As I hope you all know, pupil behaviour is one of the key themes in our Stand Up for Quality Education Campaign (https://www.eis.org.uk/campaigns/qualityeducation). All reps have been sent a survey that is to be completed by branches (not individual members). We have been in touch with reps with more info about this – but, if your rep has not been able to organise this yet, why not speak to them and offer to help? We really do need as many branches as possible to complete the survey, so that we can have robust evidence to bring to Scottish Government and others. We will, shortly, be emailing schools that do not have reps to try to organise completing the survey but, if you are in such a school and would be willing to help, please email edinburghla@eis.org.uk and we can get this sorted.
Edinburgh College dispute
Our colleagues in the Edinburgh College branch of EIS-FELA are currently in dispute over the compulsory redundancy of the local EIS-FELA H&S rep. They took strike action before the summer, and are returning to the picket lines on Monday. Edinburgh EIS stands in solidarity with them – if you go to https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/fela you can find out more and, very importantly, read the request from the branch for messages of support to be sent to college management. A collective response has gone in from the Edinburgh LA, but individual members writing emails would be great. There are also details about FELA picket lines and, if any member is not working on any of the days those are happening, I know they would welcome support.
Supply Teachers
All supply teachers should have received a message from CEC, via Teacher Booker, inviting them to a session looking at how Teacher Booker works, going over key aspects of the supply handbook and taking questions. I would urge supply teachers to attend as some of the issues that people having been having, and that they have contacted me about, have turned out to be technical problems that can be rectified if one understands the system. However, there are also wider issues around supply, and I would like to invite all EIS members who are on the supply list, and would like to discuss issues relevant to them, to attend a Teams meeting at 5pm on Monday 4th September. Email edinburghla@eis.org.uk for an invite. It would be helpful if those coming were able to give me an indication of topics they would like to discuss, or questions they might have, in advance of the meeting, in hopes we can structure an agenda that will allow all concerns to be addressed.
Anti racist actions
Show Racism the Red Card and the EIS are collaborating on the Scottish Schools Showcase – this is a great opportunity for pupils of all ages to produce works with an anti-racist theme, and have them showcased nationally. More information here: https://www.theredcard.org/news/srtrc-and-the-eis-announce-the-scottish-schools-showcase-2023/
The next phase of the inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayou begins on Monday. The EIS will be standing alongside trade unionists and activists in support of the family. There is more information, and links to resources, here https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/latest.
Are your details correct?
Many of you will be familiar with my regular pleas to check that your details on the EIS database are correct (you can do this by logging in to the member area of www.eis.org.uk). However, I would also urge members to check that your employment records with CEC are also correct. There have been several cases lately where members have found out that they are on the wrong pay point, or that the hours they thought they had on their part time contract were incorrect, or that their continuous service is not correctly recorded – which can massively impact on sick pay entitlements (and remember that continuous service counts across councils – you don’t go back to square one if you move from one LA to another without a break - see https://www.snct.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Part_2_Section_6). So, do, please, log into your MyHR records and double check. If in doubt, first speak to your BM, then try HR and, if you still can’t get the record corrected, get in touch with me.
Member networks
There are a range of national EIS networks that some of you may wish to join https://www.eis.org.uk/networks/networks-home. We are also developing local networks – currently, these are for BAME members, ASN teachers, and HTs/DHTs. We are also in the early stages of developing an equalities network. If you are interested in any of these, please get in touch. Equally, if you want to help in setting up another local network, please do say. I will, very shortly, be emailing HT and DHT network members, to set up a meeting, as we have a range of crucial matters to discuss (from workload to budget to…) so, if any HT or DHT member wants to be involved, please let me know ASAP. Do also remember that that we are keen to have a wide and diverse membership of the Edinburgh LA Executive Committee, in order to better represent all members – if you’d like to find out more about what is involved, either drop me an email, or go to https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/getinvolved to find out more.
As I said, a substantial update, but hopefully a helpful one. I’ll be sending out more information soon, including reminders about the importance of reasonable adjustments, but I think the above is probably enough for everyone to be going on with…
I do hope you have a good weekend, when it finally arrives. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 18 August 2023
Dear EIS member
I do hope you are well, had a good summer, and are still feeling the benefits of a much-needed break. I also hope that the first week back has gone as well as possible. It’s been a busy start to the term here in the LA office, both responding to individual issues and making plans for how we will be working on range of fronts - from the national Stand Up for Quality Education campaign, which is going to be so crucial to achieving meaningful improvements for both teachers and pupils, to looking at H&S issues, to considering how we can press for more permanent contacts to planning member and rep training to… I won’t go through the full list here, but there will be lots of more detailed information coming out in the coming weeks, and lots of opportunities for us to work together to press for improvements.
I’d like to welcome all new members of the Local Association, and also remind everyone about who you can reach out to for help and advice (this is summarised in a handy visual here, which also gives some key information about the Local Association).
Edinburgh LA President, Phill Pearce: edinburghlapresident@eis.org.uk – contact for queries related to primary, or issues with ICT.
Edinburgh LA Vice President, Claire Robertson edinburghlavicepresident@eis.org.uk – also contact for queries related to primary.
Edinburgh LA Assistant Secretary, Tom Britton asstsecretaryedinburghla@eis.org.uk – contact for queries related to special schools, H&S matters, and support for probationers.
National Vice President, Allan Crosbie acrosbie@eis.org.uk – contact for queries related to secondary schools.
Edinburgh LA Secretary, Alison Murphy edinburghla@eis.org.uk – also contact for queries related to secondary schools, plus anything else (!)
You can also get help and advice from our Learning Reps (more information here) and our Equality Reps (more information here).
As we develop our roles and work in the coming weeks, there will be more info about projects being led by each of the Office Bearers – watch this space!
I hope you have a great weekend, and I’ll be in touch again next week with lots more information.
Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 26 June 2023
Dear EIS member
Not long now until the holidays!!!
This is proving to be a particularly busy end of term in the LA office, with huge amounts of work going on to support individual members with a range of issues whilst, at the same time, we continue to campaign on everything from ICT to Behaviours of Concern and workload. We’re also raising queries about citywide recruitment, about the new supply booking system (as well as other issues around supply teacher terms and conditions) and are supporting a number of schools with H&S issues. And, of course, we are planning for next session, and our new Stand Up for Quality Education Campaign (see https://www.eis.org.uk/campaigns/qualityeducation for more information). We plan to hold meetings around Edinburgh early in the new term, to look at how we can use what we have learned about organising during our successful pay campaign to drive forward real improvements in workload, ASN support and addressing pupil behaviour.
Limited support in the LA office
Heather has been cited for jury duty, beginning this week. Whilst she hasn’t had to attend today, she obviously might have to do so tomorrow or Wednesday, so it is probable that we may be without admin support for the last few days of term (and, indeed, be without all sorts of support, as it really is Heather who keeps the whole Edinburgh LA show on the road!). We will try our best to get back to emails etc, but it may not be possible to respond to everything before the end of term – and I will be on holiday from Thursday…
As usual, any member who does need help over the summer should email edinburghla@eis.org.uk in the first instance, but if you get an out of office response because the LA office is closed then membership@eis.org.uk is the email to use – it might also be worth checking out https://www.eis.org.uk/member-support/membersupport-home to get information about the range of supports available from the EIS.
Is your membership up to date?
Please do check that your membership details are up to date. It is particularly important that probationer members make sure that they have full membership – too many people do not transfer over from student membership. (Remember that probationers get free membership until end of December 2024). There are few things more upsetting than when someone gets in touch to seek support for an issue, and we are not able to help them because they were not members when the problem arose. Just as you can’t get insurance after the accident, union support cannot predate membership. So please do check – and, maybe, nudge others to do the same. You can check your membership by logging in to the members area at https://www.eis.org.uk/account/eislogin
EIS Financial Services
Staff at EIS Financial Services will be working over the summer, and this might be a particularly good time to book a consultation with them. They can offer a range of financial planning services, applicable to teachers at every stage of their career. You can find out more here https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/eisfs.
Support Edinburgh College
Some of you may already know about the attacks on colleges that are happening right now – cuts to budgets, compulsory redundancies and a range of other issues. You can find out more here https://www.eis.org.uk/fela/fela-home. On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, EIS members in Edinburgh College will be out on strike, and they would welcome support. Wednesday is, of course, trickier, but if anyone is not working that day, then it would be great if you could pop along to any of the Edinburgh College campuses to show your support to those who will be standing on picket lines (any time between 8-9.15am). On Thursday, several of us will be heading to the Granton College campus, so if you can join us there, that would be much appreciated. I’m sure we all remember how great it was to receive support when we stood on picket lines a few months ago, so let’s give support to our fellow members in the college sector.
I hope the last few days go smoothly. Particular best wishes to those involved in sports days or other such activities as the weather gets a bit more unpredictable… Whatever you are doing between now and Wednesday, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 7 June 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well. A very quick update for you. This Thursday to Saturday, a group of us will be representing Edinburgh LA at the national EIS AGM in Aviemore. We’ll be debating a range of motions, from workload and stress, to supporting members with disabilities, to better ASN provision to… The list goes on. We’ll also be participating in fringe events looking at supporting teacher health and wellbeing, and at further developing our campaigning capacity (so building on all we learned during the pay campaign). However, since both Heather and I are part of the delegation, we will have very limited ability to respond to emails or phone calls for the next couple of days. If something is really urgent, do drop us a message and we will try to respond but, if it can wait until next week, that would be great.
One other thing – do, please, try to come along to our “end of term social” on Wednesday 14th June, register here. It’ll be a great opportunity for us to get together in an informal setting to share ideas and experiences, and just to blether…
Have a good rest of the week. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 2 June 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are looking forward to the weekend. Two things, very quickly, and both pretty specific.
Probationers
If you are a probationer (flexible route or teacher induction scheme) you should have received an invite from Irene Whitford to a session on terms and conditions that is happening on Tuesday and will be delivered by Tom Britton and me. We’ll try to cover some of the most common issues that people face, be they lucky enough to have secured a permanent post, be doing fixed term work, or be on supply. I’d urge you to come along (if you don’t have the invite, email Irene Whitford).
Supply Teachers
The rest of this bulletin has information for those who are, or might be, using the new booking system for supply. It is not really relevant to other members, so feel free to delete now…
Over the last few weeks, one or two members got in touch with questions over the new Teacher Booker system. The Teacher Panel took those questions, and others, to CEC and their answers are shared below. Do note that these discussions happened a short while ago – I’ve had a few more people get in touch in the last day or two with additional questions, and I haven’t yet had a chance to address those. I’ll try to respond to individual emails soon or, if questions are general, get a further update out to everyone.
Availability of Supply
Teacher Booker is just that – a booking system. Its introduction has no impact on the overall levels of supply available. Obviously at this time of year there does tend to be less supply work available, especially in secondary schools, but many schools are still looking for supply teachers. However, Teacher Booker will only offer a teacher work that matches the availability listed in a person’s profile. In some cases, people have set that availability quite narrowly, and that may well be limiting what work they are being offered. If people feel they are not being offered the level of work they would expect at this time of year, they should first check their profile. If they cannot identify an obvious problem there, then they should contact edinburghsupply@edinburgh.gov.uk and someone will be able to get back to them to look at what might be the issue. There is also the chat function on Teacher Booker itself, which operates 9am-5pm, and can be a quicker way of asking some questions.
Do note that you can also “pause” your availability, say if unavailable for a particular week.
Pay
Again, Teacher Booker is simply a booking system. Moving to this has no impact on terms and conditions, which are set nationally by SNCT. However, one advantage of this new system is that it should make it much easier for teachers to check that their hours have been uploaded correctly. It should also reduce the number of errors that happen around pay, and make it much easier to identify the source of any error. It is also making it much easier for CEC to spot where a school may not be adhering to the terms and conditions set out in SNCT (e.g. over short term supply being for full or half days) and there have already been communications sent to business managers, reminding them of the rules around this.
Do note that, whilst CEC did allow a transition period to schools for processing pay, this has now ended. All supply engagements MUST be processed through Teacher Booker to allow an employee to be paid.
Any salary queries, which are not answered by checking your Teacher Booker account, should be directed to AskHR
Guide to using Teacher Booker
CEC shared a guide to help with setting availability etc, and you can find that here. And, in addition to the Teacher Booker chat function, there are other guidance documents that can be found in the TB help centre by clicking the 3 vertical dots at the top right on the TB screen and selecting Help Centre – then type key words of your query into the search box. Technical queries about Teacher Booker should be directed to Teacher Booker. Pay queries go to AskHR, and everything else should go to edinburghsupply@edinburgh.gov.uk, who will endeavour to answer as quickly as possible.
Naturally, the EIS will continue to monitor the situation and, if problems remain, we will look to address these. However, it is worth noting that Teacher Booker operates successfully in several other Scottish local authorities, and CEC is confident that the same should be true here. It’s also important to separate out what may be issues with the booking system, and what are wider issues around supply (for example, pressures on school budgets leading to some schools potentially trying not to use external supply, security of employment etc.). Hopefully, the new booking system will soon bed in, and we can turn our attention to campaigning on these wider issues. Not to mention that Teacher Booker should make it much easier to identify where individual schools may not be following the existing terms and conditions for supply. I would suggest that, early in the new session, we look to assess the situation and see what issues remain to be tackled.
Separately, our Learning Reps have heard from several supply teachers around issues accessing PRD/PU, and they are in active discussions with CEC about how to address those concerns. I hope to have an update for you shortly. In the meantime, though, do note that the default assumption is that PRD/PU (which is an entitlement) should be done by whatever school someone works in most regularly – if you do go regularly to a particular school, but they are refusing to carry this out for you, please let me know ASAP. If you don’t have regular contact with a specific school and need help with sign-off, you should contact Catherine Chrystal , who should be able to assist.
I do hope you have a good weekend. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 29 May 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well and enjoyed the weekend. No more Monday holidays for us, alas, but the end of the year is rapidly approaching… Some of the following updates might help with some of the things we all need to do before the summer holidays.
PRD/PU
Our learning reps are holding a Teams session on preparing for your PRD/PU this Thursday (1st June) at 4pm (this is an online version of the successful in-person event that they ran a few weeks ago). Email edinburghla@eis.org.uk for a Teams invite. Do note that this session will not cover how to use the GTCS system, since that is not a requirement for completing your PRD/PU.
Building our Union – the Big Blether…
We are a union and, as the name implies, that means us working together. Which is much easier when we know each other, share ideas and can talk to each other about our common goals and interests. Or, to put it more simply, when we can get together for a good blether. To that end, on Wednesday 14th June, at 7pm, we will be having an end of term social/big blether, with a buffet and drinks, in The Angels’ Share, 7-11 Hope Street (just off Charlotte Square). We held such events before covid, and they were a great way for members to get together to chat, to find out more about the union and to share ideas about what we need to focus on next year. It’s also a great chance for the LA Executive to thank everyone who has worked so hard over the year, particularly with the pay campaign. So, whether you are long-standing rep or activist, or a member who has never been actively involved before, please come along! Please sign up here as soon as possible so we know how many to cater for.
Grenfell Memorial
Also on 14th June, from 5.30-6.30pm, the ETUC will be holding a vigil and rally on the Mound, by Princes Street, to commemorate the dead of Grenfell, and call for justice around this wholly avoidable disaster. Please come along and hold a placard showing the face of one of the victims of the tragedy. You can see photos from a previous rally here. Several of us are already planning on attending the rally and then going to The Angels’ Share – I hope you can do the same.
Switch Off For Summer – Health and Wellbeing Event Friday 16th June 1.30-3.30pm (lunch from 1pm)
Reflect, celebrate, and switch off: This session, which is in EIS HQ, 46 Moray Place, EH3 6BH will explore the way that both appreciation and acceptance are important in being able to end the school year well. Through practical, creative and reflective activities you’ll have the opportunity to decide how you want to finish the 2022-23 school year and explore what you need over the summer holiday. The activities and practices shared will be ones you can also take back to your school communities and use with colleagues and classes. Lunch will be provided. All welcome. Feel free to invite a fellow EIS member you haven’t seen in a while and you’d like to catch up with. This event is being organised by our Learning Reps, and is led by Claire Young, who has delivered other very well received sessions on member HWB. Sign up here as soon as possible so we know how many to cater for.
Edinburgh Pride – 24th June
It would be great to have a really good EIS presence at this important event. We’re delighted if members just turn up on the day to join us on the march – but it would be very helpful if a few people could volunteer now to help with carrying flags and banners, or let us know if they can help on the stall we will be running. If you can help for an hour or two, please email the LA office.
WTA Negotiations
These should be happening in all schools and are a key tool in trying to control workload. If members are concerned about the process in their school (particularly if you are in a school without a rep) do get in touch and we can try to help.
Behaviours of Concern
Last week we shared the findings from our Edinburgh Behaviours of Concern survey with the LNCT. In the coming weeks, we will be talking to councillors and others about what more can be done to effectively tackle the levels of distressed behaviours, and the incidents of violence and aggression, that are occurring in classrooms right across the city. One thing that should already be happening – every school should have a H&S committee that meets monthly, and addressing Behaviours of Concern should be a standing item on the agenda. Further, all staff should be clear about how they can communicate concerns they may have to members of the committee, and committee members should be regularly updating staff on discussions. If you feel this is not happening at your school, first talk to your rep and, if concerns remain, get in touch with the office and we will try to help.
I hope you have a good week, and I hope to see some of you at some of the events outlined above. In the meantime, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 16 May 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well. Some important updates.
Behaviours of Concern
Thank you to the over 1000 members who completed our survey on Behaviours of Concern/violence. We have already begun analysing the results and, in the coming days, will share results with members, CEC officers, councillors and others, with the aim of getting action that will make a material difference to staff and pupils.
PRD / PU Information and Support
Our Learning Reps met a number of members last Friday to support them in their PRD planning. Members requested that the powerpoint used at the session, together with an example of how the Professional Learning Planning Model could be used, be made available. These will be uploaded to the Learning Rep page on the LA website. Please don’t hesitate to contact our Learning Reps with any queries you may have. A further session for those members who were unable to attend will be delivered on Teams on Thursday 1st June (precise time tbc, but after school). Email edinburghla@eis.org.uk to get an invite to the session. Please also be aware that this session will not cover how to make use of the GTCS system, as doing so is not necessary for the purposes of your PRD / PU.
At Friday’s meeting a number of supply colleagues raised concerns about gaining access to CEC’s PRD documentation, and about their entitlement to a review meeting. We want to reassure any member in this situation that we are keen to offer support in resolving these problems. We will be raising those queries with CEC, so that we can try and ensure issues are addressed, and will send out an update as soon as we can. In the meantime, do email our learning reps for specific help with individual queries – contact details are here https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/learningreps.
Notice Periods
A common query I am getting from members at the moment is around notice periods. The SNCT rules around this are here https://www.snct.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Part_2_Section_9 – go to 9.23 onwards. In essence, it is a minimum of 4 working weeks for the majority of staff, and 8 weeks (of which 4 must be working) for CLs, DHTs and others. There is, of course, nothing to stop people giving more notice, and that is usually welcomed by managers, as it helps with planning. Regardless of when you hand in your notice, though, you should always say that you resign with effect from the last day of the holidays (so, if resigning at the end of this session, you need to say your final date of employment is Sunday 13th August 2023).
Campaign for Universal Free School Meals
Members of the LA Executive were proud to attend last week’s Food4Thought campaign event at the Scottish Parliament, organised by the STUC and others, which called on the Scottish Government to implement universal free school meals for all pupils. The testimony of young people about why this is so important was particularly powerful. Please go to https://food4thought.uk/get-involved to find a link to a petition to the First Minister, template letters to MSPs, and other ideas for how you can support this vital campaign.
STUC/Stand Up to Racism Rally – Sunday 21st May – Erskine
You may already be aware of the racist protests happening in Erskine. The STUC is calling on union members, anti-racist campaigners and others to join them in a peaceful act of solidarity with the local community this coming Sunday, and the EIS is keen to support this. You can find more information, including a link to a bus going from Edinburgh, here Solidarity with refugees: Keep Nazis out of Erskine - STUC. Note that we will refund the cost of the bus ticket for any member who goes to the rally.
I hope your week goes well. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 5 May 2023
Dear EIS Member
I hope you are well and looking forward to the long weekend. I’ll try to keep this brief.
May Day March and Rally
I hope some of you will be able to join members of the LA Executive tomorrow (6th May), as we represent Edinburgh EIS at the May Day march and rally. We’ll be gathering on Johnston Terrace, by the castle, from approx. 11.30 – setting off at noon. More details here.
Behaviours of Concern Survey
Thanks to the many hundreds of you who have already completed the survey on Behaviours of Concern. On average, it is taking people around 5 minutes to complete (though some people are sharing much more detail in the comments section) and the more members who take the time to share their experiences, the more robust our evidence will be. We will close the survey next Friday – 12th – so please complete it before then. The link to the survey is here.
Lessons Learned and Planning for Future Success
It’s not too late to sign up for this event, on 18th May. More information here.
PRD/PU
You should have received an email yesterday with information about this event on 12th May at Holy Rood High School. If you missed it, or if you want to know more about who our learning reps are, and how they can help you, go here.
Menopause in the Workplace
4.30pm on 15th May at the EIS offices, 46 Moray Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BH
This workshop, run by Ruth Winters, EIS Organiser, aims to create a greater awareness of the menopause as a workplace issue and will provide a brief introduction of what the menopause is; consider workplace factors that can negatively impact someone experiencing the menopause; identify good practice; find out what your workplace rights are and how to get the support and information you need.
A buffet will be provided from 4pm, if you would like to attend, please email the LA office and let us know if you have any special dietary or access requirements.
Edinburgh Pride – 24th June – Save the Date!
It’d be great to have a really good turnout at this year’s Edinburgh Pride, so please save the date. More information nearer the time.
Once again, all the best for the long weekend. I hope you have fun, whatever you might have planned, and I look forward to seeing some of you on the march tomorrow. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 27 April 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well, and looking forward to the long weekend.
Behaviours of Concern Survey
Thanks to the many members who have already completed the survey on Behaviours of Concern/Violent Incidents, which was sent out on Monday to everyone listed as working in a CEC school (since a large part of the survey is looking at how CEC responds to incidents, we have not sent it to members working in the independent sector). We do need a really high response rate, so that we can share an accurate picture with CEC, and thus be able to campaign for appropriate actions and support. So, if you have not done so already, please take a bit of time to share your experiences. You can find the survey here.
Learning Rep PRD / PU Session
When: Friday 12th May @ 1-2.30
Where: Holy Rood High School, Duddingston Road West, EH15 3ST
Aim: To support members in their PRD and PU processes
Come along and meet your Learning Reps in person. We are here to help and want to support you at this point in the year when many schools will be looking to undertake your PRD discussions. In 2021 our GTCS standards were renewed, and CEC produced an updated policy. Our session will offer you a practical and pragmatic approach to planning your own professional learning and undertaking your PRD conversations.
Holy Rood has free on-site parking. On arrival you will be greeted with a free cup of tea or instant coffee and a biscuit. We look forward to meeting as many of you as possible. Please register your interest by emailing edinburghla@eis.org.uk (if only so we know how many biscuits to buy!).
May Day Events
There are a range of events happening to celebrate May Day. On 6th May, at 11.30am, unions, local community organisations and many others will be gathering on Johnston Terrace, for a march and rally with the theme “Fighting Back Together”. Several of us will be there, carrying the Edinburgh LA banner, and it would be lovely if you could join us. You’ll find full details here https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/latest. Do also look at some of the other events happening, including the local history walk.
Lessons from the Pay Campaign – Building our Capacity to Campaign
As mentioned before Easter, we are keen to get together to think about what we have learned about effective campaigning over the last months, and to think about how we can take those lessons to continue to fight for better terms and conditions for all our members. So, we are holding a meeting on 18th May (venue tbc, depending on numbers) which will be part social, but mostly a chance to share ideas and to plan (a bit like the strike hubs that we ran during the pay campaign). Please try to come along if you can – you can sign up here.
Workers Memorial Day- Friday 28th April 12.30pm
If you are able to be in town at 12.30pm, do come along for an hour to join the commemoration for International Workers’ Memorial Day (details here https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/latest). Speakers include a representative from the Fire Brigade’s Union, which will be particularly poignant in light of the events in Edinburgh a few months ago, when fire fighter Barry Martin lost his life in the course of his duties. It’s important we all remember what gains unions have made, fighting for workers’ rights and safety – and how much is left to do. If you cannot make the event itself (and I appreciate the timing means most members can’t be there) perhaps, if you are in Princes Street Gardens over the next few days or weeks, you could stop by the memorial tree for a few moments, to pay your respects…
Tomorrow (Friday 28th) there will be no administrative support in the office (Heather is taking a very well deserved day in lieu) and I will be in a national EIS Executive meeting for most of the day. So, if you do need to email the office, it is unlikely we will be able to respond until next week – if it is something that really is urgent and can’t wait, put a note to that effect in the subject line and I will try to get back to you. Do also remember what I said last week about other office bearers, and their areas of responsibility – it might be you are better emailing one of them… You can check the list of who is leading on what at https://www.eis.org.uk/Edinburgh where you’ll find last week’s member bulletin.
I do hope you enjoy the long weekend, when it finally arrives. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 21 April 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you haven’t found the first week back too much of a shock to the system… 😊 Some key updates to be aware of before the weekend.
Pay Queries
If you are unclear about your pay this month, the first thing you should do is check the two links I sent out at the beginning of the week. These cover a lot of FAQs that are being raised (the CEC one is here and the EIS one here). If you still have questions, or if you think there is an error, you need to speak to CEC – you can either raise a query with AskHR or, in some cases, you might find that your BM can explain things. If, once you have had an explanation from CEC, you continue to think there is a mistake, then get in touch and we will try to help. But you do need to check with them first – as our employers, they are the first people you need to speak to about pay issues.
Additional Member Support
We have had an increase in facility time for the Local Association, due to our increased membership numbers, and we are looking at different ways we can utilise this time to increase the support we offer, and the effectiveness of our campaigning. Plans will be developed and shared over the coming weeks but one thing that can start happening straight away is that, instead of members always coming straight to me with questions, there is the option to approach office bearers who will have more expertise than I do in various areas. So, the first points of contact for certain queries are now:
Anything related to health, safety and wellbeing; to probationers; to job sizing; or to special schools – first point of contact is Tom Britton, Edinburgh LA Asst Secretary, asstsecretaryedinburghla@eis.org.uk
Queries specific to primary schools – first contact either Phill Pearce, Edinburgh LA President, edinburghlapresident@eis.org.uk or Claire Robertson, Edinburgh LA Vice President edinburghlavicepresident@eis.org.uk
If it’s a query specific to secondary schools, either try me or our National Vice President (elect) Allan Crosbie Allan.Crosbie@jamesgillespies.edin.sch.uk
If in doubt, do feel free to email me, but I may well pass the query on to one of these…
Lessons from the Pay Campaign – Building our Capacity to Campaign
As mentioned before Easter, we are keen to get together to think about what we have learned about effective campaigning over the last months, and to think about how we can take those lessons to continue to fight for better terms and conditions for all our members. So, we are holding a meeting on 18th May (venue tbc, depending on numbers) which will be part social, but mostly a chance to share ideas and to plan (a bit like the strike hubs that we ran during the pay campaign). Please try to come along if you can – you can sign up here.
Learning Rep event- An Introduction to Self-Employment and Starting Your Own Business
On Thursday the 27th of April 4.30-6pm Business Gateway Edinburgh will bring a Teams learning event, organised by our Learning Reps. This session from Business Gateway Edinburgh will provide an introduction to what steps to take if you are considering starting to work for yourself. From market research to registering as self-employed to marketing and bookkeeping. There will be time at the end for Q & A and also information about accessing further support and how to arrange a 1 to 1 meeting with a Business Gateway Adviser. Email the office for a Teams invite.
Violence at Work Survey
A separate email will be going out soon to all members in CEC schools, with a survey on Violence at Work/Behaviours of Concern. Please do complete it – a high return rate is very important when we present findings to CEC. If you do not receive the survey, do get in touch.
All the best for a great weekend. Stay safe and well and, as always, let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 18 April 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well, and enjoyed a relaxing holiday. A few important updates for you as we move into the last term of this school year…
Edinburgh LA General Meeting – Amendments to National AGM Motions: Wednesday 26th April at 5pm on Teams
The national EIS AGM is taking place in June. At this meeting, a range of motions will be debated, and those that are carried will form the basis of the EIS’s work and campaigning for the coming year. I’m delighted to report that the motions submitted by Edinburgh have all been accepted as competent and will be going forward for debate at the AGM. However, before motions are debated, there is an opportunity for them to be amended. Any Local Association can submit amendments to any motion, and the Edinburgh LA will be meeting to debate any proposed amendments next Wednesday (27th) at 5pm on Teams. Please go here to see the full list of motions that have been passed by the EIS Standing Orders Committee and, if you want to submit any amendments to be debated by the LA, they need to be received to the office (edinburghla@eis.org.uk) by 5pm on Monday 24th. Do note that amendments should seek to improve or clarify a motion – amendments designed to alter the fundamental intent of a motion will be ruled incompetent (after all, if someone disagrees with a motion, the thing to do is to come to the AGM and speak against it…).
Pay Award
The latest information from CEC regarding the pay award can be found here. Those currently employed by CEC will receive back pay next week, whilst those who left CEC during 2022-23 will get any monies owed in May. More general information around the pay award, including the gross amounts each point on the pay scales, can be found here . Members will be aware from national bulletins that EIS HQ has been raising the issue of tax with COSLA and with individual local authorities, and the Edinburgh LA continue to do so directly with CEC – my understanding is that CEC have approached HMRC regarding special arrangements, but that HMRC has not agreed to this. If there is any further update, I will let you know.
Events that might be of interest
Go here for information on the plans for Workers’ Memorial Day, the Edinburgh Climate Movement Gathering, and the Edinburgh and Lothians May Day Celebrations.
WTA Negotiations
Branches should be discussing what they want to see in next year’s WTA. It’s really important that branches both evaluate the current WTA and come up with proposals for changes – whilst a strong WTA is not the answer to all our workload problems, it is an important step in enabling teachers to gain some control, and to help in prioritising initiatives (which, of course, should also include deciding that some things can wait…). If any branch wants help in holding meetings, evaluating current agreements, or in negotiating for next session, then the rep should get in touch with the office and we will be more than happy to assist (if you are in one of the few schools that does not have a rep, do get in touch and we will do all we can to help you come up with a good agreement).
If you are a primary teacher, it is very important you are familiar with the LNCT agreement on Forward Planning. This agreement is binding on all Edinburgh schools, and people need to ensure that their WTA and their general practice adheres to this.
I hope you have a good week, and that the return after the holiday isn’t proving too much of a shock… 😊
Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 31 March 2023
Dear EIS member
Happy Holidays!
This bulletin is, mainly, to wish you a really good holiday, and a much needed rest. I also want to thank each and every one of you for all you have done to support the EIS over the last few months. We have shown what a strong, united and campaigning union can achieve when we work together.
To that end, the Edinburgh LA Executive is keen to get all reps and activist members together, so that we can talk through lessons we need to learn from our pay campaign, and apply those lessons to the many local campaigns we need to pursue going forward (workload, ICT etc). This will also be a chance for us to thank everyone for what they did during the campaign, and for us to build connections, network, socialise and share ideas. We’re going to host a catered event on Thursday 18th May, 5-7pm – venue tbc when we know numbers. If you can come along, please book here.
Two other dates for your diary…
On Friday 28th April, at 12.30pm, Edinburgh EIS will be taking part in the International Workers’ Memorial Day event in Princes Street Gardens. More info here.
On Saturday 6th May, Edinburgh trade unions will be holding its annual May Day march and rally, and it would be great if there was a good EIS turnout – more details at the same link.
Once again, my best wishes for a really good holiday. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 23 March 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well. A few important updates.
Pay Award
An enormous amount of work is being done on this in the background, both locally and nationally. I have been raising the implications of the April pay run for the back pay in a number of different forums, and am just out of a meeting with CEC senior officers and councillors. The latest update is that CEC is pursuing HMRC to try to make arrangements to address the tax issue and that, as well as this local action, they are in talks with the many other local authorities that are unable to process the pay award for March, to see if a more coordinated approach is possible. I have urged CEC to ensure that they keep teachers informed as to progress, and they have undertaken to do so as soon as they have any news.
I should note that CEC has confirmed that all supply teachers who are still working for CEC will receive their back pay in April, in the same way as permanent/fixed term contract staff. Everyone who is no longer working for CEC, for whatever reason, will receive the monies they are due in May.
CGI/ICT
In the same meeting where we discussed the pay award, there were also updates on work being done to improve ICT in schools (and, indeed, in other parts of CEC, such as libraries). It is clear that the pressure that has been brought to bear by the EIS has resulted in increased activity to try and rectify the situation and, whilst many problems remain, some improvements are starting to be seen. Be assured that we will continue to raise this, and we will, in the near future, be looking to see if our members’ experience triangulates with what CEC is telling us as to improved service.
Behaviours of Concern
Very shortly (hopefully next week) we will be surveying members on their current experience of behaviours of concern/challenging behaviours. Our previous survey did result in a clear acknowledgement from CEC as to the scale of the problem and the reality being faced by teachers, PSAs and others in classrooms – something that, previously, they had been very reluctant to admit was an issue. This new survey will help us identify what has, and has not changed, and thus enable us to focus our campaigning more effectively.
Lots of other work is ongoing at the moment, but I did want to get the above out to you now, as assurance that we are continuing to pursue these matters of concern. It might be that I am back in touch tomorrow, if we get a further update, but I’ll wish everyone a good weekend now, for when it finally comes, just in case we do not have any news by the end of Friday.
Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 17 March 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well, and set for a good weekend. A few quick updates for you.
Pay Award
Everyone should have received info confirming that, for staff who are currently employed by CEC, the plan is that the award, and all associated back pay, will be made at the end of April. For those who have left CEC, the award is scheduled to be paid at the end of May. For this latter group, CEC should, in most cases, be able to process this automatically (assuming bank details etc are unchanged) but there may, for some, be a need to contact AskHR nearer the time to confirm info. This link Pay award 2022 - 2023 – The City of Edinburgh Council should enable people to stay up to date with procedures and processes. I have asked when those staff who did supply hours last year will receive their back pay, and I will pass on that info when I receive it.
I am aware of concerns that are being raised about the fact that different authorities are processing back pay at different times, and the implications this is likely to have for tax. Quite a lot of the questions being raised are national, and I have passed these queries on. Hopefully you have received the member bulletin sent out by HQ, outlining what they are doing to address this. However, I would like to make the following point… Ever since we submitted our pay claim back in February 2022, we have been pressing for a rapid settlement. The delays and prevarication of Scottish Government and COSLA are what have led to this situation. The only way the EIS would have been able to gain a settlement during the 2022/23 tax year would have been to accept an earlier offer, and those earlier offers were worse and, even with the tax differential, would have left members worse off.
There are many other points I could make but, as I said, much of this goes beyond Edinburgh. You can find more info here https://www.eis.org.uk/new-pay-offer/payofferfaqs and this will be updated as more information becomes available. However, I would like to make another point, and a plea. Maybe the pay settlement did not gain us all that we wanted – but it was a very significant victory, and one of the best settlements that has happened anywhere in the public sector. And that happened because of the collective action of members of the EIS, who remained strong and united throughout. Furthermore, the delays, and any disparities, are not due to the actions of the union. I can quite understand why people want to do everything possible to ensure equity across Scotland, as do I, but if we are not able to successfully address this particular issue, it would be a shame if it detracted from the very real gains that we have made, or led people to forget all that our collective action has achieved. As I said in my previous update, this has been a very hard fought campaign, but one with significant wins, and we must not lose sight of that. Let’s please remember all we have achieved together.
National Elections
I’m delighted to say that Edinburgh’s nominee for National EIS Vice-President, Allan Crosbie, has been elected, and he will take up post in June. We have also received the results of the election for our delegates to national council – we’ll be updating the LA website with the names of next session’s delegates fairly soon but if, in the meantime, anyone is particularly anxious to check, you should be able to find the information in the member area of the national website. Thanks to all members who participated in the election. As I have said many times before, it is when members are active and engaged in the union that we are at our strongest.
Resist Racism Rally – George Square, Glasgow tomorrow (Saturday 18) at 11am
Edinburgh EIS will be taking our local banner to this rally tomorrow. If you are going, but have not booked onto the free bus going through from Edinburgh (might still be one or two seats available, though it is filling up fast https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/edinburgh-coach-to-resistracism-demo-in-glasgow-tickets-531878491887) do come and find us.
I think that is enough info for a Friday… 😊 I do hope you have a good weekend. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 13 March 2023
Dear EIS member
I want to start with a huge thank you to every member who has contributed so much to our PayAttention campaign. Friday’s vote showed that the overwhelming majority of the EIS membership agreed with the view of the EIS Salaries and Executive Committees that the offer put forward by the Scottish Government and COSLA was the best we were going to be able to achieve under the current circumstances. I’d go further and say that, given both the current financial and political circumstances and the initial starting point (remember that, this time last year, we were being offered 2%), the new deal marks a significant victory, and we should be proud of what our action and our solidarity has won. We might not yet have achieved our ultimate goal of full pay restoration, but this deal is a milestone on that path. When we all receive our back pay (before you ask, CEC has not yet confirmed when that will be – and may not be able to for a little while yet, as this deal still needs to be formally ratified by SNCT) do take a bit of time to reflect on the fact that it was the sacrifice of every one of us who took strike action, who stood on picket lines, who emailed MSPs etc that won of us that money – money that will be consolidated into all future pay awards.
As well as the financial gains (not all we wanted but, as I said before, so much more than we were initially offered) this campaign has also seen other benefits:
Our membership numbers have grown;
member engagement is high;
we have more reps;
branches have become more active and empowered;
more members have joined the Edinburgh Local Association Executive, or have supported campaigning actions;
we have learned a lot about how to mobilise and how to build effective campaigns.
All this will stand us in very good stead as we tackle the many other challenges facing us. As you will know, we have already had a significant victory in challenging the education cuts that CEC proposed in its budget, and that they were almost entirely reversed. We continue to fight for better ICT provision, for reductions in workload, for stronger responses to behaviours of concern, for more permanent teacher posts and for a range of other measures. The successes of our our PayAttention campaign put us in a much stronger position to make progress in these areas, and I will be updating you all in the coming weeks about what we can do together to achieve further victories.
Special Schools Survey
An area we are looking at right now is the pressures in our special schools. All members working in special schools should have received a survey – if you have, please complete and return as soon as possible, and if you haven’t, please get in touch ASAP and we will resend you the link. The quicker we have a comprehensive return, the quicker we can start raising key issues with CEC.
Resist Racism March and Rally
Given current events, the Resist Racism march and rally that is taking part in Glasgow on Saturday 18th March, to mark UN Anti-Racism Day, is particularly timely. Do, please, come along to join the Edinburgh EIS members who will be showing our commitment to opposing racism and discrimination. It would be great to have some school banners. You can book a place on the free bus here or the Edinburgh LA will cover the cost of train fares through to Glasgow.
Coronation
Everyone should have had official confirmation that CEC has ratified the extra day’s bank holiday for the coronation (Monday 8th May). Updated part time calculators have been with schools for a while now, so anyone who is part time should speak to their HT/BM to make sure that this has been reviewed in light of the changes.
Once again, thanks to all of you – and a particular thanks to all the reps, who worked so hard to make our campaign so powerful. I hope you all have a good week and, as soon as I have more news about how the pay award is going to be processed, I will be back in touch. I will also be trying, over the next few days, to catch up on emails etc that have been neglected due to the pressures of the pay campaign – if you have been in touch about something urgent, and haven’t heard back from me, do send a reminder message and I will try to respond as soon as I can.
Have a good week, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 9 March 2023
Make sure you voice is heard – vote!
By the time you are reading this, there will probably be less than 24 hours left to cast your vote in the electronic ballot on the current pay offer. We need to be sure that the final decision reflects the views of the whole membership, so PLEASE make sure you vote today (deadline is 10am tomorrow, but please don’t wait). Remember that there is more info about this offer here https://www.eis.org.uk/pay-attention/finaloffer. If you didn’t get the email, you can request another one from ballot@eis.org.uk – but time is rapidly running out.
Please also make sure you have completed and returned your ballot paper for the national Vice Presidential election (where Edinburgh has nominated Allan Crosbie) and for the Edinburgh seats on EIS national Council. This is a postal ballot, so please do post it now.
LA AGM
Thanks to everyone who came to last night’s LA AGM. We passed a large number of motions, on everything from campaigning to address the workload crisis, to addressing the lack of permanent contracts for teachers, to the need to improve the system for authorising apps for classroom use. Over the coming months, the LA exec will be working hard to try to deliver on these priorities. We’d love more members to come and join us in our efforts – see https://www.eis.org.uk/Edinburgh/Edinburghexecutivemembers for info.
Survey for special school members
Everyone who works in a special school should have received a survey asking some key questions about working conditions. It is essential we get as comprehensive a return as possible. If you have had the survey, please complete it as soon as possible. If you haven’t had it, email the office and we can reissue (do check your spam folder first). Do note that this is specific to special schools – we will be looking at issues facing staff in units in mainstream (and, indeed, in mainstream classes) soon.
International Women’s Day – Taking Our Place in the Union
Go to https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/latest for details of an event being organised by EIS HQ to celebrate International Women’s Day.
I hope you have a good day today, and an excellent weekend, when it finally arrives. Don’t forget to vote – and remind fellow members to do the same.
Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other, and supporting each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 7 March 2023
Dear EIS member
I’ll try to keep this one brief…
Pay award FAQs
These are now available on the national website https://www.eis.org.uk/new-pay-offer/payofferfaqs. Covers everything from what you will actually get if the award is accepted, to tax, to why the move to August.
Edinburgh LA AGM tomorrow 5-7pm at Broughton High School
Please come if you can. More details here https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/laagm. Deadline for submitting amendments to any motions is noon tomorrow – they must be emailed to edinburghla@eis.org.uk.
Resist Racism March and Rally – Saturday 18th March, Glasgow
Please come and join our Edinburgh EIS contingent, who will be marching at this next week (school banners very welcome!). You can book your free seat on the bus going through from Edinburgh here .
Don’t forget to vote!
Everyone should have received their electronic consultative ballot on the pay award. Deadline is 10am Friday. You should also have received a postal ballot for National Vice President and Edinburgh Council delegates. Given that is postal, please return ASAP. If you haven’t received either, you need to email ballot@eis.org.uk as a matter of urgency. Please do vote in both – democracy matters!
I hope you’re having a good week. Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 6 March 2023
Dear EIS member
Hopefully by now everyone has received their ballot regarding the pay offer (if you haven’t, email ballot@eis.org.uk as a matter of urgency – ballot closes on Friday at 10am). It’s really important all members vote, so that we can be sure that the final decision around whether to accept the pay offer, or to reject and continue with our strike action, reflects the view of the majority of the membership. The email from HQ that accompanies the vote explains some of the key reasons why the EIS is recommending accept, and there is more information here https://www.eis.org.uk/pay-attention/finaloffer. I’m not going to spend much time here expanding on the thinking behind this decision – Edinburgh LA Executive member (and our nominee for national Vice President), Allan Crosbie, has written a very thoughtful thread around this which you can read here . And the comments below the thread give some of the reasons some people are choosing to vote reject. Those of you who have not yet decided which way you are going to vote might finding reading all of this helps you make up your mind.
I do, however, want to make a few points, and a couple of pleas…
Right now, some people who feel we should be continuing with our strike action will be feeling very angry. Equally, the decision to reject the offer of 15th February without a ballot angered many others. There is never going to be a time to end a dispute that satisfies all members. What we need to do is recognise and respect the validity of the divergent views, listen carefully to all the arguments, and vote accordingly. Then, once the majority view emerges, we need to move forward together as a union, recognising that what unites us is far more important than our differences.
Whilst no one feels this is a perfect deal, and there are those who feel that escalating our strike action would result in further improvements in the offer (not a view shared by our negotiators who have sat in meetings with Scottish Government and COSLA), we do need to remember that it is a huge improvement on what was on the table before we began our strike action. And even if one looks at the offer made on 15th February, which we rejected, and compares it with what we are getting now, we can see that there is a clear improvement* - an improvement that more than offsets the loss of pay for our two days of strikes, and that is baked in to all future pay rises. The improved offer of Friday 3rd March only happened because we showed that members remained determined and united, and because members supported the strikes. In other words, we have shown that industrial action does make a difference.
The gains we have made happened because of huge efforts by everyone – most importantly, every single member who withdrew their labour and lost pay. However, the work by reps and activists at local and national level were absolutely vital in shaping and driving this campaign. Without that level of activism both locally and nationally, we would never have been in a position to deliver the strikes we did. So, if you feel there were things about the campaign, or the decision making behind it, that could have been improved, please become more active in the union, and help shape our decisions in the campaigns we will be focusing on going forward (workload, behaviours of concern, contact hours, class sizes etc, and, of course, our continuing battle for pay restoration). You can do this by voting in our elections for national Vice President and for Edinburgh delegates to national Council, by attending our LA AGM on Wednesday https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/laagm, by becoming a school rep or by working with your school rep (rep committees are a very powerful way of building capacity at branch level), by joining our local executive. It is activist members who shape the union, and the broader the base of activists who are involved, the stronger and more representative we will be.
A couple of other, quick things before I end.
I do hope you have a good week. I’ll end as I began, with a plea to everyone to vote.
Stay safe and well and, now more than ever, let’s be kind to each other and support each other.
Alison
* The cash improvement on the Feb offer is: Old deal: April 2022 - £44,876 New deal: April 2022 - £45,300, so £424 better off than old deal. Old deal: April 2023 - £47,344 New deal: April 2023 - £47,565, so £221 better off than old deal. Old deal: Jan 2024 - £47,344 New deal: Jan 2024 - £48,516, so £1172 better off than old deal
Secretary's Update 27 February 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you had a good weekend. Some vital updates for you.
Pay Campaign – strikes tomorrow and Wednesday
Unacceptable as the offer of 15 February was, it was the first significant movement from Scottish Government and COSLA in months, and there is no doubt that it came as a direct response to the escalating strike action being taken by the EIS. It is essential that, tomorrow and Wednesday, we show that our determination to win a fair pay rise remains strong. The most important way we can all do this is by withdrawing our labour. Hard as it is to lose two days’ pay, the long term gain from winning a decent rise is worth it. Even today, I have had emails from schools that will be running a picket for the first time, which is evidence that member anger is growing, and member resolve remains solid. Added to this is the fact that our membership numbers, locally and nationally, are growing and, today, I am getting emails from members who have just joined, and want to be reassured they are covered by our strike mandate. This shows just how many teachers recognise the vital importance of us presenting a united front and standing together to fight for our profession.
Remember, members who are suffering real financial hardship can apply to the Hardship Fund https://www.eis.org.uk/pay-attention/hardship - this fund is not just for those who are part time, and anyone who is genuinely struggling/feeling a disproportionate impact should apply.
As I said, the most important thing we can all do is strike. Next in priority is picketing – this is a really important way of making our determination visible. The more people we have standing on picket lines, and the more schools that have pickets, the better. So, PLEASE JOIN A PICKET LINE AT YOUR SCHOOL. Don’t forget to post pictures from your personal social media accounts, tagging Edinburgh EIS and national EIS, and send any photos or videos to 07926 946150 so we can post them from the Edinburgh EIS accounts on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Thanks to those members who have already been in touch to say that they will join us tomorrow and/or Wednesday, to take part in our lobby of MSPs. If you are thinking about doing this, please get in touch by 5pm today, so we can add you to the rota. Sessions are 11am-2pm, and 5-7pm, on both Tuesday and Wednesday.
Protect the right to strike
As I’m sure you know, the UK government is looking to enact even more restrictive legislation, further undermining our already incredibly limited right to strike. Please sign this petition, initiated by the TUC, and supported by EIS nationally, as a first step in defending this vital right, and keep an eye out for further actions in the coming weeks.
LA AGM
Go to https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/laagm to see the agenda for our LA AGM, and the range of motions we will be debating. If anyone wants to submit an amendment to any of these motions, it needs to be emailed to edinburghla@eis.org.uk by noon on Wednesday 8th March, and be clearly marked “amendments to LA AGM motions”. Please do come along to this important meeting.
Vote
Members should, by now, be receiving ballot papers for both the national Vice Presidential elections (where Edinburgh has nominated Allan Crosbie) and for our 9 seats on EIS national council. Please do use your votes. The union is strongest when members fully participate, and that includes considering which candidates best reflect your views, and voting for them.
Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other, and supporting each other – in particular, let’s support
Alison
Secretary's Update 23 February 2023
Dear EIS member
As I said in my update yesterday, a key focus of next week’s activity is increasing pressure on Scottish Government to come back with a credible offer. To this end, we are going to be joining several other Local Associations in holding a lobby of MSPs on both 28th February and 1st March.
We need every Edinburgh member to email their MSPs to invite them to attend this lobby. You can find a template for the email here https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/payattention. If you don’t know who your MSPs are, you can look that up here https://www.parliament.scot/msps. Remember, you are emailing your own MSP, so it is based on where you live, not on where you work. Obviously time is tight, so if you can do the email today, tomorrow or Saturday, that would be perfect. And, of course, send me any reply as soon as you get it.
We also need a smaller group of members who would be willing to take part in the lobby itself, and talk to MSPs. We’ll be coordinating this with the other LAs, and aiming to set up a rota that covers the different time slots and the different constituencies. We’ll provide a briefing sheet for those who want it – though I suspect many of you need no help at all in explaining very clearly why a fair and rapid settlement to this dispute is so important! If you would be interested in doing this, you would need to be able to come to the Scottish Poetry Library (5 Crichton’s Close, Canongate – close to the Scottish Parliament) for at least one of the four different times we will be running the lobby (so, 11am-2pm, and 5pm-7pm on 28th and 1st). If you want to take part in the lobby, please email me ASAP saying:
Which constituency you are in
Which slot(s) you are able to do.
Many thanks!
Alison
Secretary's Update 22 February 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well, and enjoyed a good break over the half term. Apologies for not being in touch sooner – not only have things been pretty busy, but I managed to come back from my half term break with a cold that it turns out is covid… Whilst I am, fortunately, not particularly unwell, I am definitely not 100%, hence the delay in getting in touch with a few pretty crucial updates.
Pay Campaign
Detailed information about all aspects of the pay campaign are available here https://www.eis.org.uk/campaigns/payattention. You’ll find everything from campaign bulletins (including the one explaining the reasoning behind the decision to reject the latest offer) to info about exemptions to the list of schools that are taking part in this week’s targeted action (I know members at those schools would welcome messages of solidarity – be those via social media, or good old fashioned letters and postcards). Do keep checking that site, as the information is regularly updated.
As regards next week, and our escalating national strike action, here are a few key points:
The Scottish Government is spinning the offer of last week as an 11.5% increase – but that is only by combining two year’s worth of offers, and if you are going to do that, you also need to look at the combined impact of two years of double digit inflation. It would be far more realistic to say that the offer locked in further erosion in our pay, and all the attendant problems. If we really want to start to challenge the constant fall in our standard of living, we have to stand strong and show we are determined to fight for our profession. The Scottish Government and COSLA have already shown that they respond to determined industrial action, so we need to maintain and escalate the action.
The escalation means that next week, it is all schools out on two days – 28th February and 1st Please make sure you support this action, and remember all the things that we have learned over the previous days: you do not confirm in advance your intentions to strike; no EIS member (including HTs, QIEOs, SEOs etc) should doing any work to prepare for, or mitigate the impact of, the strike; pickets are an incredibly important way of raising the profile of the campaign, building solidarity with the membership, and allowing the public to show their support, and we would like to have pickets outside as many schools as possible on both days.
We are not, this time, planning a local rally. Instead, our efforts are going to be focused on lobbying MSPs. There will be a separate email, with info about the detailed plans, issued soon.
However, we do need everyone to come along to the national march and rally on 11th Those of us at the last national rally in 2018 will know what an impact it had, and it is incredibly important we have a good showing this time, too. If you haven’t done so already, please sign up for your seat on the buses now - https://rallybusedinburgh.eventbrite.co.uk/ and get friends and family to come along, too.
CEC Budget
Ads well as work on the pay campaign, we have also been campaigning on a range of local issues, including the CEC budget proposals. You can see a lot of what we have done, including press coverage and the submission made to all councillors, if you go to https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/cecbudget2023. I will, tomorrow morning, be making a deputation to CEC, asking them to protect education spending. At the time of writing this bulletin, the various different budget proposals from the different parties have yet to be published, but early indications are that our lobbying has had some impact, and at least some cuts may be being pulled.
If there is any member who is not working tomorrow morning (Thursday 23rd) you might want to go along to City Chambers for 8.30-9.30am, where the joint trade unions will be holding a demo in advance of the full council meeting, calling on councillors to protect our public services.
We will also, in the coming days, be working with fellow trade unions to launch a campaign to accelerate implementation of the tourist tax, as a way of raising additional revenue and thus protecting local services. Please support!
You are the EIS!
We always say that the EIS is a member-led organisation. This is most true when you, the members, take advantage of the various opportunities open to you to influence the decisions of the union at both local and national level. And I am pleased to say that there will be several such opportunities in the next few weeks:
LA AGM – the main decision-making body for Edinburgh LA. Do come along https://edinburgheisagm23.eventbrite.co.uk/
For the first time in a long time, we will be having an election for our Edinburgh delegates to EIS national council. This is a really good sign of increasing engagement in the union, and voting papers should be arriving with all members soon. Do, please, read the statements made by all the candidates, and then cast your vote.
I’m pleased and proud to be able to say that the Edinburgh LA Executive has nominated Allan Crosbie as EIS National Vice President. Many of you will know Allan, who is a long-standing local and national activist. He has made an enormous contribution to the EIS, including being a brilliant speaker at our Bute House rally, and the executive are confident he will make a superb VP. You can read his official campaign leaflet here https://www.eis.org.uk/Edinburgh and election materials should be arriving in schools in the next few days. Again, this is a postal election, so look out for your ballot and please do return it as soon as you can. The more people who vote in these elections, the more we can be sure that the union really is reflecting the will of the membership…
Lots more info to follow in the next few days, including about lobbying MSPs, and motions for our LA AGM, but I think that is more than enough o be going on with… I hope the rest of your week goes smoothly.
Stay safe and well and, as always, let’s keep on being kind to each other, and supporting each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 1 February 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are having a good week. A few important updates.
Pay Campaign
As you’ll know, regional strikes are continuing. This is because, despite it being nearly a year since we submitted our claim for 2022/23, Scottish Government and COSLA refuse to enter serious negotiations, and they have not come back with any new offer for over two months now. We really need to keep the pressure up, and show how determined we are not to accept a deep real-terms pay cut, the impact of which will be felt for many years to come. Obviously we have our next two days of national strike action on 28th February and 1st March (the LA Executive will be discussing plans around that tonight). However, right now, our key priority is ensuring a massive turnout at the national rally in Glasgow on 11th March. We set a very high standard in 2018 – we have to show that we can top that. So, please book your seat on the LA buses NOW https://rallybusEdinburgh.eventbrite.co.uk and do all you can to persuade colleagues, friends and family to come along.
ICT
This continues to be a major issue. We will be raising the current problems at both the LNCT this afternoon, and the JCG tomorrow (the latter being where unions get to raise issues of concern with CEC councillors) and looking for commitments around improvements.
Equalities
There are a number of excellent training opportunities available, relating to a wide range of equalities issues (from dealing with LGBTI+ bullying to teaching about slavery). Some of these courses are being delivered by the EIS. You can find out more info here https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/equalitymatters (under update from Nikhat Yusaf). Remember that we are fortunate to have several EIS Equality reps in Edinburgh – you’ll find their contact details if you follow that line, and they are a good port of call for questions related to equalities issues – be that related to pupils, or to your own experience.
Edinburgh Local Association AGM – Wednesday 8th March 5-7pm Broughton High School
Do try to come along to the LA AGM. The AGM sets policy and priorities for the coming year, as well as being a chance to discuss what we have been doing, talk about things like our pay campaign, listen to reports from office bearers etc. We keep saying that the EIS is a member-led union – it is at our AGMs that the members have the chance to influence the work of the union. If you want to help, or if you think we can do better, or (perhaps most importantly) if you disagree with what we have been doing and want us to focus on other things, the LA AGM is your chance to have your say. We’re only strong when we all work together, so make sure you voice is heard!
Whilst members can just turn up, it massively helps if we can get an indication of numbers in advance (if only so we know how many cups we need!). So, please sign up here if you are coming https://EdinburghEISAGM23.eventbrite.co.uk .
Remember that, if you want to submit a motion, the deadline is next Friday (10th) at noon – see https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/laagm for advice on this, or get in touch with me for help on wording.
Defend the Right to Strike
As you’ll know, there are events happening right across the country today (Wednesday 1st February), to defend our right to strike. However, the previously advertised rally on the Mound at 5pm is not now going ahead. There will, instead be a protest at the east end of Princes Street (by the statue of Wellington) at 5pm, with members of the ETUC holding a banner and raising the profile of the campaign with the public. If you are in town, please go along and show your support.
Knowing your no
Final reminder for this Health and Wellbeing online session tomorrow (Thursday 2nd February) at 4pm, you can register for this here https://knowingyourno.eventbrite.co.uk
I am endeavouring to catch up with individual emails that people have sent in over the last couple of weeks. If the matter is urgent and you have not had a response from me, either email again, or try texting me on the mobile number below. I will try to get back to everyone as soon as I can. I would like to remind all members that many matters related to our terms and conditions are covered in the SNCT Handbook (https://www.snct.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=Table_of_Contents) – given it’s the main document governing our employment, more teachers should be familiar with its contents. There is also a lot of useful information here https://www.eis.org.uk/Edinburgh and here https://www.eis.org.uk/. And, of course, school reps are a vital source of front line support (I hope we are all remembering to thank our volunteer reps for all they do for us! 😊).
As always, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other, and supporting each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 26 January 2023
Dear EIS member
THANK YOU!!!!
Yesterday was amazing! From the huge numbers of picket lines, to the great turn out at the rally, to the incredible levels of public support, to the media coverage to the fact that pupils from Edinburgh schools also turned out to show that they are with us – everything that happened sent a loud and clear message to the Scottish Government and COSLA that, hard as this fight is, it is one we are determined to win. Our profession deserves no less. So, a huge thank you to every single member who continues to live the reality that a union is a collective body that is strong when we work together and support each other. And a particular thanks to all the reps and activists who did so much work organising that collective action. Without their efforts, yesterday would not have been the success it was.
Of course, there is much still to do (don’t forget to book your seat on the buses going through to Glasgow on 11th March for our national march and rally https://rallybusEdinburgh.eventbrite.co.uk and the intransigence of Scottish Government and COSLA may make this a longer fight than any of us want. And, of course, the pay campaign is only one aspect of the work that we are doing to try to improve things for teachers and for education. But, for today, let’s focus on what we have achieved so far, and on the fact that we achieved it together.
So, once again, THANK YOU.
Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other and supporting each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 24 January 2023
Dear EIS member
A very quick message to wish everyone good luck for tomorrow. I’m sure we will all work together to make our industrial action a success. A few very quick reminders.
Most schools are running pickets, and the picket supervisors should have all the info and materials they need. If there are any last-minute questions (including tomorrow morning, whilst on the picket) it is probably better to phone/text me – I will not be able to keep an eye on emails. Equally if you have been in touch in the last few days with an urgent query and haven’t had a response, use my mobile and I will try to get back to you.
If you are not based at a school, or if your school is not running a picket, please come help us with leafleting the Scottish Parliament etc. If you are able to help with this, the best thing is to head to the Scottish Parliament for a bit before 8am. I will either be right in front of it, or unloading my car which will be parked in the Holyrood Palace car park. I’ll be easy to spot, as I’ll be wearing a Pay Attention tabard and hat, and looking flustered. We will then hand out leaflets to members of the public, staff going into the Parliament etc. Once we are done there, we will be heading up to the rally.
Please make every effort to come to the rally.
Please do all you can to raise the profile of the strike, be that through social media, or writing to your councillors/MSPs, or…
And, of course, make sure you do withdraw your labour. We need to show how serious we are, and that means we need the strike to be solid, and supported by all members, right across all sections of the profession.
Once again, good luck to all of us (hopefully the weather will be kind!). I look forward to seeing many of you at the Mound at 11am. Stay safe and well, let’s keep on being kind to each other, and let’s support each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 23 January 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well, and had a good weekend. I also hope you are set and ready for Wednesday. It is incredibly important that our strike remains strong – losing pay is difficult for all of us (remember that, if you are really struggling, you can apply to the hardship fund https://www.eis.org.uk/pay-attention/hardship), but we are fighting for a fair pay rise that is not just for this year, but that will carry through for the rest of our careers (and, indeed, beyond, given it also impacts on pensions). We have to defend our pay now, or we will continue to get poorer for decades to come. And, of course, this is a fight for the whole profession – and for the children we teach. So we need everyone covered by SNCT – every grade, every different employment category – to join us, and to make their presence known, so that we can all see that we are in it together and are supporting each other.
As well as withdrawing labour, a really big visible presence on picket lines and at our rally at 11am on the Mound will send a very strong message to Scottish Government and COSLA about the growing determination of Scottish teachers to see this through. So, please make every effort to take part in our collective action. In addition to the picket lines and the rally, a few other things you can do to support our fight are:
This bulletin includes a flyer for our rally. If you have a personal social media account, please share this widely. Tag local MSPs (especially Lorna Slater), the LA and anyone else you think might be supportive. On Wednesday, make a real effort to both post yourself about actions (picket line and rally photos are good, but also little video clips about why you are striking) and to re-post messages from @EdinburghEIS, @EISUnion
If you are an Edinburgh resident, emailing Lothian List MSP Lorna Slater (Slater.msp@parliament.scot) and asking her to attend our rally, and support our pay campaign, would be great.
Please encourage family and friends to come to the rally. The bigger the presence, the better. Bringing placards, musical instruments, wearing pay campaign colours etc are all things that make it more media friendly, which helps raise our profile. We need to make sure that people have no choice but to #PayAttention.
As you will know, Westminster are currently debating even more draconian anti-trade union legislation. On 1st February, there is a “day of action” to register opposition to these measures. Events being organised by the ETUC are:
Rally in the Mound at noon particularly for the PCS DWP members who will be on strike that day;
Indoor rally in the Southside Community Centre at 1.00pm/1.30pm.
Rally in the Mound at 5.00pm particularly for those who are at work during the day.
It would be great if there was a good EIS presence at this last one.
Don’t forget the change of date for the LA AGM – now on Wednesday 8th March https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/laagm.
Have a good week, and I look forward to seeing you at the rally on Wednesday. In the meantime, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind, and supporting each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 19 January 2023
Dear EIS member
I hope you are well, and managing to stay warm! A few updates for you.
LA AGM change of date - now on Wednesday 8th March
Our AGM was scheduled for 1st March, but that is now a national strike day. Consequently, we are moving the AGM to Wednesday 8th, still 5-7pm. Venue is tbc, but it will be in a city centre school. The deadline for receiving motions for the AGM remains noon on Friday 10th February. Go to https://www.eis.org.uk/edinburgh/laagm for more information, including guidance on what are relevant motions.
Strike day – Wednesday 25th January
The only way this dispute is resolved, and the only way we avoid another decade of erosion in our pay and standard of living, is if the strike remains solid. So, we need everyone – class teachers, headteachers, Educational Psychologists, instrumental music teachers, QIEOs etc – to withdraw their labour on 25th. The Scottish Government is trying to divide us, particularly in the way it keeps coming back with differentiated offers, so we have to show that we are a united profession. Further, we have to demonstrate that our resolve is strong, and that can best be done by a really large, visible presence on the streets of Edinburgh. In other words, whilst striking is vital, participating in action on 25th is also essential. Hopefully most people can attend their school picket lines. For those who do not have a school, we will be leafleting outside the Scottish Parliament and other government buildings, and we need lots of people to help with that (flexible with times, but core hours would be 8-9.30) – email the office if you are able to do this. And then we are having a demo at 11am on the Mound, beside the National Gallery. We have invited our local MSPs, as well as others, and our National President, Andrene Bamford, will be one of the speakers. This needs to be a really big, colourful and attention-grabbing demo so please come along. Bring school banners, bring placards, bring whistles and drums, bring your children, bring friends. Let’s make sure the entirety of Edinburgh, and our elected representatives in the Scottish Parliament, are left in no doubt about our determination to see this through.
For those of you who are Edinburgh residents, please take some time between now and 25th to contact your local MSP to ask them to support our cause and to attend the rally. In particular, email Lorna Slater (Lothian List MSP) at Lorna.Slater.msp@parliament.scot asking her to attend. The LA executive have already invited her, but lots of messages from constituents should help encourage her to come along. Anyone who is on social media can also support the action by posting messages about the rally and the strike and, on 25th, by tweeting and retweeting lots of messages and images (#PayAttention). Do make sure this is done via personal accounts…
Do also keep an eye on https://www.eis.org.uk/campaigns/payattention - everything from info about the Hardship Fund to FAQs to exemption information.
Other matters
As well as the pay campaign, we continue to pursue many other matters. The Teacher Panel is doing a lot of work pushing for improvements to ICT, and we are also continuing to campaign around Behaviours of Concern, ASL, support for supply teachers, workload, budget cuts etc. And, of course, there is ongoing support for individual members. If you have been in touch with the office and not had a reply, I do apologise – if it is an urgent matter, please get back in touch and/or leave a message on my mobile (number below).
We are a UNION, and it is when we are united, and work together, that we best succeed. So, please do support our efforts, and take action on 25th. I look forward to seeing you at the demo! In the meantime, stay safe and well, let’s keep on being kind to each other, and let’s support each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 16 January 2023
Dear EIS Member
I hope you are well, and had a good weekend. Quite a few updates here, not all strike related…
Knowing your no – Health and Wellbeing Event
Identifying, communicating and maintaining our boundaries is an important skill for educators in the system we’re teaching in. Doing this with as much flexibility, compassion and humour as we can matters too. At the same time, it’s a skill that is often left for individuals or teams to work on ad hoc, rather than being a core part of our professional development and reflection.
Exploring and strengthening these skills will be the focus of professional learning workshops coming in the new year (having been rescheduled due to strike action in November). Being able to learn about this in community and build our collective confidence in how we establish the boundaries that we need is important to making this work stick, as well as helping us find what’s right for us and step away from what’s not. We’ll be meeting at 4pm on Thursday 2nd February.
Sign up here to book your place – we’ll be using Teams. All welcome – whatever your role, background or experience.
“Strike Social”
Don’t forget to sign up for Thursday’s Strike Social, here in Moray Place at 5pm. This is a great opportunity to share ideas about how to win our pay campaign in a more informal atmosphere. We’ll be hearing from people who were involved in the successful 80s pay campaign, as well as from some younger members with really interesting ideas about what we need to do now. Since we’ll be providing food, wine and soft drinks, it would be incredibly helpful if you could sign up ASAP, to help with catering. Sign up here.
Glasgow Demo – 11th March
Please sign up now for your seat on the buses going through to Glasgow. We need this march and rally to be huge! Sign up here to book a seat.
A few key points about next week, and about future strike days…
As I’ve said before, picket lines are a crucial part of any strike. They raise the profile of the action, are a really public display of member engagement, give a focus for media attention, build branch solidarity etc. Having visited a few East Lothian pickets this morning, it was great to see how positive the members were, and to hear all the support from the public (I was wearing my PayAttention hat and tabard and, as I walked towards some pickets, I was stopped by members of the public who wanted to say how strongly they supported us). So, please do make sure you join the picket line at your school – and, if your branch has not organised a picket before, please do so this time. Get in touch with the office if you need support.
As you’ll know, further strike days have been announced. Obviously, our hope is that this will demonstrate the strength of resolve of teachers, and force Scottish Government and COSLA to come back with a serious offer… Selecting days for strike action is difficult, as we need to take account of different working patterns across Scotland, plus a range of other factors. This means that there have, so far, been more strikes on Tuesdays and Wednesdays than other days. This means that some part time teachers will be disproportionately impacted. Anyone in that position should apply to the hardship fund. https://www.eis.org.uk/pay-attention/hardship. Equally, the regional and sectoral strikes (so primaries and special schools out on one day, secondaries another) can impact disproportionately on those with childcare responsibilities, if their child’s school is closed on a day when they are not striking. We did look carefully at this, but the advantages of spreading the strike action across more days, to put more pressure on Scottish Government and COSLA, are considerable. Again, anyone who is losing further pay through having to take unpaid time off for childcare, or who is having to pay extra costs, should apply to the hardship fund.
Remember that a strike is a full withdrawal of labour. So, as well as no teaching, there should be no WTA activities, nothing in the evenings – no work at all! Further, if any WTA activity is scheduled for a strike day, it is for the School Negotiating Committee to meet to see if it can be rescheduled, or if it simply has to be abandoned. Given the 5 hour/week cap on WTA activity, if something is so essential it has to be moved to another week (parents’ evenings would be a good example of this) then almost certainly something else will have to be cancelled to make space. If in doubt, speak to your school rep.
I’ll be in touch again soon, particularly about what we will be doing on Wednesday 25th January to raise the profile of our action. This fight is too important – if we give in now, we will be feeling the costs for years to come. We have to work together to make sure Scottish Government and COSLA pay us what we are worth. So, as well as striking on Wednesday, do make every effort to stand on a picket line, and to support the other activities we will be organising. In the meantime, have a good week.
Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other, and supporting each other!
Alison
Secretary's Update 12 January 2023
Dear EIS member
Thank you! This week’s strike action was incredibly well supported, and sent a really strong message to Scottish Government and COSLA that teachers will not put up with the continual erosion of our pay – erosion that has been going on for far too long. This is also erosion that will continue, and even accelerate, unless we take a stand now so, tough as it is, we need every member to stand in solidarity and continue to support the strikes until we win a decent pay rise. Tough as it is for any of us to lose pay – imagine what it will be like if we are forced to accept the current offer, and further below-inflation offers… That will see all of us far worse off, and cost more in the long run, than the immediate loss of pay.
As well as a huge thank you everyone who took part in the strike, I want to particularly thank all those who also stood on picket lines, came to the strike hubs and/or joined the demos. Those visible, public actions are essential for putting extra pressure on our employers, building the profile of the action, and making an early resolution more likely. The more Scottish Government and COSLA see that we are strong, determined, united, have strong public backing, and are willing to put in extra efforts in pursuit of our claim, the more pressure they will feel to settle.
I say all this because our next strike day is 25th January, and we need to be preparing for it now. A few key points to note:
We need all members to strike. We are fighting for the whole profession – one of the key principles we are fighting for is an undifferentiated pay offer. Scottish Government and COSLA are trying to pit us against each other. Only if we all – HTs, Educations Officers, classroom teachers, Educational Psychologists etc – stand together will we win.
If you are disproportionately impacted by strike action (e.g. if you are part time, and work Wednesdays, thus losing a greater proportion of your monthly income) you should apply to the EIS Hardship Fund.
Our understanding is that CEC will be opening school buildings on 25th and insisting that all non-striking staff work in the building.
NO ONE should be confirming in advance whether they will, or will not, be striking. Remember that strike exemptions (e.g. for those who are pregnant) are an internal EIS matter. If you are exempt, you should not be talking in advance to your manager about this.
I will, in the next few days, reissue the EIS advice that went out to HTs and DHTs before the strike on 24th If you’re in SLT and aren’t in our HT/DHT network, drop me a quick email to make sure you get this.
We need to have a picket line at every This is not about putting pressure on non-teaching colleagues not to go to work. Quite the contrary. Having stood on some picket lines myself, I am pleased to say that Unison and Unite members were incredibly supportive, appreciated why we were there, and made many gestures of solidarity (from standing with us for a short period to bringing us chocolates and coffee!). Further, the non-teaching unions have made very public statements of support for our action, and fully appreciate the need for picket lines. What’s more, over the last couple of days, the public have also been amazingly supportive – I lost track of how many cars tooted their support, most people took leaflets and badges, and many people made a point of coming to say they supported us. This is part of why picket lines are so important - they are needed as a very visible symbol of the strength of the action, they give a focus to the action, they help build unity in the branches, and they let others show their support for us. So, if your school ran a picket yesterday or Tuesday, that is fab, and please do so again. If your school did not, please agree now as a branch that you will do so. If you need any help organising that picket, just get in touch and we’ll offer support.
We will be organising other actions on the day – likely a large demo in the centre of Edinburgh, and some other activities, too. We’ll confirm details very soon, but PLEASE keep the day clear, so that you can turn up and show support.
We will also be looking at other things, such as writing to MSPs, and will be sending materials out to branches in the next few days.
Thursday 19th January – Pay Campaign Social 5-7pm Moray Place
One of the great things about the strike hub was having time and space to sit, to talk to other members, to share ideas and experiences and to talk about how to build the campaign (not to mention the union more generally). We want to make sure more members have a chance to do this, so we are organising a reasonably informal “pay campaign social” for next week. We’ll provide food, wine and soft drinks, and the main focus will be us talking together about how to ensure success. We hope a wide range of members will come along, including some of you who were active in the union in the 80s, when the EIS took on the Thatcher government - and won! We need to make sure we learn from, and build on, that experience. So, please come along on Thursday, so we can build this campaign together. You can sign up here.
Saturday 11th March – Pay Campaign March and Rally in Glasgow
We need this to be huge! If branches want to organise their own buses, that would be brilliant (we will, of course, cover costs). However, we will be laying on a few buses from the city centre – exact details tbc, but likely leaving Waterloo Place at 9am. Book your seat here.
One suggestion from our strike hub was more meetings where I, or others from the executive, come out to talk to branches. We will, in the next while, try to set up a rota for this. In the meantime, though, if you want a speaker to come out to your branch, drop me an email and I will try to organise that for soon as possible.
Once again, thanks so much for making Tuesday and Wednesday such a success! Let’s keep strong together! Stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other.
Alison
Secretary's Update 5 January 2023
Dear EIS member
Happy New Year! I hope you are well, and had a restful and enjoyable festive break. We return to what is going to be a very busy, and very challenging term. However, it is also one where we can, as a union, continue to work together to support each other, and to fight in defence of Scottish education. Which leads me straight on to some pretty significant updates regarding next week’s industrial action…
Arrangements for the strike days
Every member should only be out on one day, and should have had an email from HQ confirming which day this is. If there is any reason why you feel you should be out on a different day to the one you have been told, get in touch with me (this should only be in pretty unusual circumstances).
If you think you might be exempt, or if you have other questions about the strike, please go to https://www.eis.org.uk/campaigns/payattention first to check out the info there. Most queries are covered in one of the sections.
Our hope is that most schools will be running picket lines first thing in the morning. If your school is doing this, please talk to your rep about supporting the picket at your school.
If you cannot attend a picket (or even if you can!), please consider coming along to one of our strike hubs. These will be on both Tuesday and Wednesday, in both cases at the Augustine Centre, 41 George IV Bridge, EH1 1EL. The hubs will be open from 10am, with soup and sandwiches, and we will be running workshops, sharing ideas for building the campaign, looking at next steps, preparing to lobby MSPs, and also just having a chance to talk to each other and build some solidarity, from 10.30am-12.30pm. We need people to sign up in advance for these (so we know how much food to order!) and the links are:
Another incredibly important thing we want lots of members to do on their strike day is attend out lunchtime “static demos”. On Tuesday we will be outside COSLA HQ (9 Haymarket Yards) and on Wednesday we will be outside Bute House (Charlotte Square). We will have speakers from 1.30pm (so gather a little bit before this) and it would be great if there were lots of school banners etc, to raise our profile with the public and the media. It would really help us with stewarding these if those intending to come along came as school groups, and if reps could let us know rough numbers in advance (particularly on Tuesday, when space is more limited). We’re hoping to get good press coverage, so a large, colourful turnout would be great.
Hopefully this is all clear. Obviously, it is incredibly important that we make sure that next week’s strikes are really well supported, and have lots of media coverage. Only that way can we make it clear to Scottish Government and COSLA that we are serious, and that they need to come back with a realistic offer that recognises our worth.
No doubt I will be in touch again soon with more updates but, for now, stay safe and well, and let’s keep on being kind to each other. And I look forward to seeing you at one of the hubs, and one of the demos, next week!
Alison
