School Strike Update

Education officials in Orkney are continuing to discuss the potential impact on schools and nurseries if the planned national teachers’ strike action over pay goes ahead on Thursday 24 November.

Further detailed information is required before confirmation can be given as to which settings will be closed, however, it is likely that there will be significant disruption. Parents and carers are advised to seek alternative provision for their children on 24 November.

The Council’s Corporate Director of Education, Leisure and Housing, James Wylie, said: “Before we can give absolute clarity on which settings will be closed, we are double checking all our information with individual establishments and reviewing the information coming forward from the union. As soon as we have a clear picture early next week, we will release the list of schools and nurseries affected if the strike action goes ahead.

“Our advice remains to plan for closure and therefore have a contingency plan in place for childcare on 24 November.”

It is hoped to update further by the end of this week.

The EIS, Scotland’s largest teachers’ union, have said teachers will strike in nearly all Scotland’s schools on that date, in pursuit of a 10% increase in pay. The EIS have further confirmed that 96% of the 35,000 teachers who took part in its ballot had backed a strike, after they had rejected a 5% pay offer from employers.

The Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (CoSLA) which represents the country’s 32 local councils, said they are “working at pace” to reach a settlement in the dispute.