Teachers ballot on education cuts

05/06/2009

Union anger over cuts to resources and staff numbers

Scotland's largest teaching union has voted for a ballot on industrial action over claims of slashed education budgets.

Teachers from the EIS said schools across Scotland were facing cuts in basic resources as books and jotters, as well as in teacher numbers and classroom assistant provision.

It is believed local authority education budgets across Scotland were being cut by just under £60m.

EIS Education convenor Larry Flannigan said: "Teachers can only judge on the basis of the amount of money available to them in the classroom.

"Our evidence is quite clear that the per capita spending in schools has been decreasing rapidly over the last few years."

At its annual conference, the union also voted not to boycott the introduction of the new Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) in schools.