Over 90 per cent of members of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) have pledged their support for further industrial action in defence of their pensions.

Following a consultative ballot, the EIS revealed that out of 17,669 votes, 16,134 teachers and lecturers voted ‘Yes’ for industrial action with 1,535 voting ‘No’. The decision for industrial action comes after the Scottish government announced that a further 1.2 per cent in pension deductions will be imposed on teachers’ pay, taking the overall contribution rate to 8.96 per cent.

EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: “EIS members across Scotland have shown great patience during pension discussions with the Scottish government over the past year.

“However, given the lack of progress in these talks and the apparent unwillingness on the part of the Scottish government to negotiate in good faith on issues such as contribution increases, teachers and lecturers are now angry at the position the Scottish government has continued to take. To simply replicate the worst of the UK government’s continuing attacks on public sector pensions north of the border, even when they have the freedom to negotiate a Scottish alternative in relation to the teachers’ pension scheme, is unacceptable.”

He added that he “hopes this overwhelming vote sends a very clear message to the Scottish government that it needs to match action to its rhetoric and achieve an agreed settlement with Scottish teachers”.

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