Red Faces

The Herald newspaper reported the other day that Scotland's largest teaching union - the EIS - had 'bowed to public anger over a controversial deal that cut pay for supply staff'.

Now exactly what public anger was that because - strangely enough - it seems to have passed me right by?

The background to the story is that last year the trade unions and the council employers - via COSLA - reached a deal which introduced lower rates of pay for short-term supply staff.

The logic being that supply teachers in place for only the odd day - could not possibly be doing the same job or performing at the same level - as temporary teachers placed for a reasonable length of time.

So the deal struck by the teaching unions and COSLA meant that supply staff must work at the lowest daily rate of £78 for five consecutive days - in the same school - before their pay rises to the normal and higher rate of £145.

Far from there being a wave of public anger - the real issue here is a backlash within the unions - who are simply trying to unpick a recently signed agreement before the ink is even dry.

Seems to me the underlying motive is about sparing the blushes and embarrassment of trade union negotiators - rather than any concern for the public or the public purse.

Here's something I wrote about the back-story - just last month.

Money For Old Rope (7 January 2012)


An old teacher acquaintance of my told me a strange tale a while back - which might be funny or maybe even outrageous - depending on your point of view.

Anyway, the story is that this teacher was retired and enjoying the fruits of final salary pension - until he decided to do some supply teaching.

By going back into his old secondary school to supervise the odd class or two - or maybe three or four - or even more.

Now he didn't take - because he didn't want to take - a class in his own specialist subject.

Because this might have required him to do some real teaching - whereas he wanted a quiet life.

But he was still paid at the going old rate, i.e. the top rate for the job - which today would mean  £150 per day.

Even though he wasn't required to teach anything - even the words of Baa Baa Black Sheep.

All he did was check the students into class - make sure they weren't too rowdy - and then read a nice book for the rest of the school period - while the students did some revision.

Now it seems to me that this was a terrible waste of public money - why pay top dollar for fillet steak when all you're getting is ground beef?

Yet that is what has been happening for years - if my experienced old teacher acquaintance is correct - teachers have been getting money for old rope.

The practice was stopped by the education authorities last year in 2011 - by cutting the £150 day rate to £75 - unless the supply teacher worked more than five days in a row.

Since this would require some proper teaching - not just idle supervision.

Scotland has many good teachers - but in reality some terrible Spanish practices still exist in our schools.

Incredibly the teaching unions are trying to have this one reinstated - whereas I say spend the money on better, more useful things.