A ballot organised by Scotland’s largest teaching union has displayed strong support for strike action, if a long awaited promise to cut teachers’ class contact time is not delivered in the near future.
The ballot organised by the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) resulted in 92% in favour of action short of strike and 83% in favour of strike action.
The online consultative ballot opened in June at the EIS annual general meeting and closed this week.
The EIS says the result is due to undelivered promises made prior to the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.
— EIS (@EISUnion) August 29, 2025
General secretary Andrea Bradley said: “Teachers across Scotland have sent a very clear message to their employers and the Scottish Government that they must now deliver on the promise to tackle excessive teacher workload.
“We are now in the fifth year since the pledge was made to reduce teachers’ maximum class contact time by 1.5 hours per week, to 21 hours. Teachers have shown a tremendous amount of patience, even under extreme workload stress, while those responsible for delivering this commitment have dithered and delayed, with no tangible progress having yet been made on delivery.
“This ballot result makes clear to both the Scottish Government and (local government body) Cosla that Scotland’s teachers and the EIS fully expect proper negotiations on the class contact reduction commitment to move ahead at pace, leading to an agreement and a timetable for delivery of the reduction to 21 hours class contact.
“The EIS and Scotland’s teachers are also very clear that the 1.5 reduction in class contact must be allocated to teachers for preparation and correction, as a real and meaningful step to reducing teacher workload.”
The Scottish Government announced proposals last week to help alleviate the workload pressures faced by teachers.
It said work is under way with councils and teaching unions to create a plan to reduce class contact time using increased funding for local authorities of £186.5 million to restore teacher numbers to 2023 levels.
Ms Bradley added: “Should very quick progress not be made on delivery of the class contact time commitment, the EIS will move swiftly to a statutory ballot for industrial action.
“Throughout the past four years, while the Scottish Government and Cosla have continued to prevaricate over delivery of the commitment to tackle workload, Scotland’s teachers have continued to suffer severe pressure and stress as a result of their workload burdens.
“It is long past time for delivery of the pledge that was made to Scotland’s teachers, pupils and the electorate – teacher workload must be reduced, starting with swift delivery of the reduction in class contact hours to a maximum of 21 per week.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We remain committed to working with the teacher unions, and Cosla, through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT), to agree our approach to delivering a reduction in class contact time for teachers.
“We are clear that reducing class contact time will help address critical concerns around teacher workload, thereby creating the space to drive improvement and reform in our schools and improve outcomes for pupils.
“The teacher unions will know this is ultimately a matter which will require agreement from the whole SNCT. It is encouraging that the SNCT has agreed to intensify its focus on this work, and met yesterday (28 Aug) to start work on the development of a clear route map for the delivery of reduced class contact time.”
In a joint statement, Cosla resources spokesperson, Councillor Katie Hagmann and Cosla children and young people spokesperson, Councillor Tony Buchanan, said: “We are disappointed to note the outcome of the EIS and SSTA consultative ballots: industrial action in schools is in the interests of no one.
“It is important to acknowledge that the original Scottish Government commitment to reduce class contact time was made in 2021. This would have required an additional 3,800 teachers. However, it was only in December 2024 that Scottish Government agreed with COSLA to work towards a reduction in class contact time alongside maintaining teacher numbers.
“We know the workload and wellbeing of our teaching workforce is important for council leaders as employers. Councils are also keen to support all our learners and for attainment to continue to improve. Additionally, it is important to note that currently the pupil-to-teacher ratio in Scotland is the lowest in the UK, with Scottish teachers having a maximum of 22.5 hours of class contact time per week.
“A reduction by 90 minutes per week through this policy will represent the biggest change to teachers’ terms and conditions in a generation. The Scottish Government have suggested this could be implemented through the predicted decline in pupil numbers. However, Cosla is clear that it must be implemented without disruption to learning and be equitable across the county geographies.
“Cosla has highlighted practical delivery issues and the need for additional funding remains vital. We must ensure that the change can be implemented in remote and island communities and without impacting on Councils’ ability to continue to fund other vital services, including those which support the wellbeing of children and young people.
“Cosla will continue to engage with the Scottish Government and teaching trade unions on this to ensure the very best outcomes for both our young people and teaching workforce are achieved.”
