TEACHERS and lecturers from across Scotland have gathered at Perth Concert Hall for the annual general meeting (AGM) of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS).

The EIS, established in 1847, is the oldest teaching union in the world and is also Scotland’s largest teaching union — representing over 80 per cent of the profession in Scotland.

The EIS is proud to be a member-led union, with all key decisions taken by the membership through the democratic structures of the union.

The AGM is the sovereign decision-making body for the EIS and is critical, therefore, in determining the policy and campaign priorities for the EIS over the coming year.

Over three days, 350 teachers and lecturers will debate the key issues facing Scottish education.

For the past two years, the EIS AGM has largely been dominated by the issue of pay. Like many groups of public-sector employees, Scotland’s teaching professionals have faced significant pay erosion over the past decade.

Following a decision taken by the AGM in 2017, the EIS organised a major campaign — Value Education, Value Teachers — with the primary aim of securing a significant pay increase for Scotland’s teachers.

A secondary, but equally important, aim was to engage members in the work of the EIS and to strengthen the union by building the activist base.

It took a sustained period of campaigning over two years but, in April this year, agreement was finally reached on a new pay deal for Scotland’s teachers.

It included a compounded pay increase of 13.51 per cent over three years, including a series of increases totalling 10 per cent payable this year.

Scotland’s teachers should all receive their improved salaries by the end of this month.

The result of the pay campaign within Value Education, Value Teachers has been a major success for Scotland’s teachers and for the EIS.

It has provided a long overdue boost to teachers’ pay, which will have a beneficial impact for recruitment and retention within the profession.

The campaign has also shown what can be achieved by members working together, through their union, towards a common goal.

However, that is not to say that everything in the garden of Scottish education is now rosy. When the EIS carried out a major survey of members to support the Value Education, Value Teachers campaign, teachers identified many other issues that they wished to see addressed.

Excessive and ever-increasing workload remains a huge concern for teachers. The EIS survey confirmed that the vast majority of teachers work well above their contractual commitment, putting in many unpaid additional hours to ensure that they can deal with workload demands.

This is reflected in a number of motions to be debated at this year’s AGM, such as those calling for reductions in class contact time and class sizes to lighten the workload burden on teachers.

The impact of austerity cuts on education provision is another recurring issue of concern. In particular, recent deep cuts to provision for young people with additional support needs is a major worry for Scotland’s teachers.

Cuts to specialist additional support needs staff has placed extra strain on class teachers, with worrying implications for the educational experience of young people in our schools.

We look forward to another interesting and productive EIS AGM this year, and we know that Scotland’s politicians, at local and national level, will be closely watching the event and keenly following the debates.

You can follow the progress of the EIS AGM via the EIS website (www.eis.org.uk) and via social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter.