SCOTTISH Deputy First Minister John Swinney insisted that real-terms pay cuts had been necessary to maintain teacher numbers today, but trade unionists told him to “stop messing.”

Speaking at the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA) congress, Mr Swinney, who is also Education Secretary, voiced hope that a settlement would be reached in the pay dispute between teachers, councils and the SNP government.

But SSTA general secretary Seamus Searson said that, when increased pension contributions and national insurance stamps were taken into account, the real shortfall in take-home pay stood at a whopping 18.7 per cent.