TEACHERS will take two days of targeted strike action next month in a dispute over pay, their union has announced.

Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA) members were balloted for strike action after rejecting a 5% pay offer, and 90% voted for strike action on a turnout of 62%.

The strike action on Wednesday, December 7 will affect Glasgow, Renfrewshire, North Lanarkshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, South Lanarkshire, West Dunbartonshire, Argyll and Bute, Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire, Western Isles, Highland, Inverclyde, North Ayrshire, Orkney, Shetland, and South Ayrshire.

Meanwhile, others will walk out on Thursday, December 8.

Members of Scotland’s largest teaching union, the EIS, are due to take strike action this Thursday, November 24.

Catherine Nicol, SSTA president, said: “The executive committee felt it had no option but to move to strike action due to the failure of the employers (Cosla) and the Scottish Government to make an improved pay offer.

“The last pay offer was made on August 19 and was quickly rejected by the teacher unions. Despite a series of engagements, not even one more penny has been put on the table.

“Teachers have had enough of fine words and are being forced to take strike action to achieve an improved pay award.

“I hope the Scottish Government will step up and help to avoid teacher strikes that nobody wants”.

Seamus Searson, SSTA general secretary, said the strike action is intended to send a “clear message to Cosla and Scottish Government that teachers are serious about a fair pay deal”.

He said: “This common practice of waiting to the last minute to reach a pay agreement shows a complete lack of respect for teachers as this pay award should have been paid in April.

“Teachers pay has fallen in real terms by 25% over the years and the failure to act promptly only adds to teachers’ frustration”.

On Thursday, December 8, SSTA members will strike in Aberdeen, Angus, Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire, Dundee, Edinburgh, East Lothian, Falkirk, Fife, Midlothian, Moray, Perth and Kinross, the Scottish Borders, Stirling and West Lothian.

A Cosla spokeswoman said: “Scottish local government values its entire workforce, of which teachers are a key part.

“Making an offer that is affordable enables councils to protect the whole of education services and ultimately improve outcomes for children and young people.

“Along with Scottish Government, we are working closely and at pace to ensure a revised offer can be brought forward, however, there are extremely challenging financial decisions that must be made, and the consequences must be understood.

“We will remain in active discussions with our trade union partners.”

The Scottish Government has been asked for comment.

Scottish Conservative spokesman Stephen Kerr MSP said SNP ministers must “pull out all the stops” to ensure a deal is struck.

He said: “This announcement of strikes by the SSTA is another hammer blow for the pupils and parents affected – coming hot on the heels of planned industrial action by the larger EIS.

“These strikes have been looming large ever since the last pay offer was rejected by teaching unions in August, yet the Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has been missing in action when she should have been trying to thrash out a deal.

“Pupils suffered massive disruption to their education during the pandemic and they can ill-afford to miss out on more classroom time now as they try to catch up.”