TEACHERS in Scotland have been offered the largest pay package in more than 20 years.

The Scottish Government has put a new deal on the table which could see salaries rise by £5200 in April if accepted.

The 28-month deal is the sixth offered to unions, and has a cumulative value of 14.6%.

This would mean an overall increase of more than £6100 for the 70% of classroom teachers who are at the top of their main grade pay scale.

READ MORE: Cambuslang mum told son’s incurable condition was 'all in her head'

It would amount to a cumulative rise of 33% for most teachers since January 2018 and would bring the starting salary for a fully qualified teacher – already the highest in the UK – to £38,650 after probation by January 2024.

The revised offer, agreed by the Scottish Government and COSLA, is: April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 – a 7% uplift for all grades up to a ceiling of £80,000, where a cap of £5600 (pro-rata) will apply.

April, 1 2023 to December 31, 2023 – a 5% uplift for all grades up to a ceiling of £80,000, where a cap of £4000 (pro-rata) will apply.

January 1, 2024 to July 31, 2024 – a 2% uplift for all grades up to a ceiling of £80,000, where a cap of £1600 (pro-rata) will apply.

Cumulatively, these amount to an uplift of 12.4% by April 2023 and 14.6% from 1 January 2024.

Education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville said: “Teachers make an invaluable contribution to the lives of our children and young people. This historic offer, if accepted by unions, would see teacher pay increase by 33% from January 2018 to January 2024.

“We have looked for compromise and we have arrived at a deal that is fair, affordable, and sustainable for everyone involved. The Scottish Government is supporting this deal with total funding of over £320 million across this year and next.

“This reflects our commitment to reach a fair agreement and avoid further disruption to children and young people’s education.

“I hope that teaching unions will now give their members the opportunity to consider this new offer and to suspend the planned industrial action next week. This would minimise any further disruption to learning, particularly in the run up to the SQA exam diet.”

COSLA’s resources spokesperson, councillor Katie Hagmann, said: “We have reached a position today whereby we sincerely hope our trade union partners can take this revised offer to their membership for a vote.

“Scotland’s council leaders fully value all of their workforce and recognise the invaluable contribution teachers make to the lives of our children and young people.”

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) union made the announcement it is to ballot its members on a revised pay offer that was presented by local authority employers, with a recommendation that the offer should be accepted.

Some 20 days of rolling strikes had been planned by the EIS across Scotland and now, the union is suspending all planned industrial action while it ballots its members on the new offer.

The online ballot opens today and runs until March 10.

Commenting, EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said: "It is through the determination and collective action of teachers and associated professionals across Scotland, led by EIS members, that we have improved this pay offer from an initial 2% for the current year to 7% for the current financial year, with additional increases of 5% and then 2% within the following financial year.

"This has been a long dispute which has been challenging for all concerned. Teachers have taken strike action as a last resort, and that strike action has delivered an improved pay offer that the EIS can credibly put to its members with a recommendation to accept.

"It is now for our members to decide whether to accept this offer, and it is our recommendation that they should do so."