Hypocrisy Over Public Sector Pay
I meant to say something about the 'police pay row' which was reported in The Herald recently (see below).
Now it's nonsense if you ask me, that some groups of public service workers seem to be 'more equal' or more worthy than others when it comes to public sector pay.
Because if the Scottish Government can find the money for a 13.5% pay increase for school teachers, then surely it can do the same for other groups including, for example, the lower paid council workers who have been fighting for equal pay in Glasgow for the past 12 years.
The comparison to be made with other public service workers in Scotland - not those south of the border for whom the Scottish Government has no responsibility.
https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/17501601.nicola-sturgeon-urged-to-apologise-over-disgraceful-police-pay-row/
Nicola Sturgeon urged to apologise over 'disgraceful' police pay row
By Alistair Grant - The Herald
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon
NICOLA Sturgeon has been urged to apologise after she appeared to dismiss the pay concerns of a serving police officer by branding them “quite disgraceful”.
The First Minister insisted officers in Scotland have been handed the best pay rise of any police force in the UK.
It came after Scottish Tory MSP Graham Simpson quoted a letter he had received from an officer in East Kilbride, following teachers being offered a pay increase worth 13.5 per cent.
Raising the correspondence at First Minister’s Questions, Mr Simpson said: “[He] wrote this: 'Whilst I appreciate that teachers have worked hard and do deserve a pay rise, why is it that NHS staff were given 9% and police officers only 6.5%?'
"I remind members that those are the words of a serving police officer. He went on to ask: 'Does the Scottish Government place the value of Police Officers as only half that of School Teachers?
"'Is it that the Government know that because Police Officers cannot strike or take any real industrial action that they are an easy target?'
"What would the First Minister say to that police officer and thousands of others?"
Ms Sturgeon responded: “Parts of those comments were quite disgraceful. I value all public sector workers, and I thank them for the work that they do.
“The police pay award is the best award for police officers anywhere in the United Kingdom. The Scottish Police Federation described it as the best pay award in 20 years.
“If the member thinks that 6.5% is not good enough — and I would love to pay all our public sector workers even more than we are — I wonder what he makes of the 2% that has been awarded to police officers in England by his Tory colleagues in the Westminster Government.”
Ms Sturgeon said many NHS workers are paid more than in England “because of the value we attach to the work that they do”, while teachers had now been offered “an exceptionally good pay deal”.
She added: "I value all public sector workers. If people look at any group of public sector workers, they will find that the value that is attached to them by the Scottish Government is much greater than the value that is attached to their counterparts in England by the Tory Government at Westminster.”
Writing on Twitter afterwards, Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf branded it a "ludicrous question from Tory MSP Graham Simpson".
A spokesman for the First Minister later insisted her “disgraceful” comment was aimed at Mr Simpson, and not the officer who had raised the concerns – despite the Tory MSP simply quoting from a letter he had received.
Asked if Ms Sturgeon misspoke, the spokesman said: “No. Her comments were directed at Graham Simpson.”
Mr Simpson said the First Minister “should be taking the concerns of a serving police officer extremely seriously”.
He said: “Instead, in front of Scotland’s parliament, she branded him a disgrace. It’s no wonder officers are losing faith in this SNP government with that kind of attitude.
“These brave and hardworking police officers should not be discriminated against because they don’t threaten to go on strike.
"The First Minister needs to apologise for being so dismissive of his concerns.”
Elsewhere, Ms Sturgeon launched a scathing attack on Scottish Secretary David Mundell after he abstained on a Westminster vote ruling out a no-deal Brexit under any circumstances.
The Prime Minister had ordered Tory MPs to vote against the motion on Wednesday, but Mr Mundell, who opposes no-deal, was one of four cabinet ministers to rebel by abstaining. Only one Scottish Tory, Paul Masterton, voted for the motion and against the Government.
Speaking at FMQs, Ms Sturgeon said: "I think it is to his credit that Paul Masterton did the right thing last night.
"The Secretary of State for Scotland can't even manage to rebel properly. He pathetically opted for an abstention to save his own job rather than properly standing up for this country, and that I think is a disgrace."
Meanwhile, Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard insisted Mrs May's deal must not be brought back for a third vote in the Commons.
He added: "Last week in this Parliament [Holyrood], all parties voted to reject no deal in all circumstances – with the sole exception of the Tories.
"What does it say about the Tories in here that every single one of them without exception voted for something that neither the Secretary of State for Scotland nor Jackson Carlaw's own MP [Mr Masterton] could vote for last night?"
More Equal Than Others (09/03/19)
The Scottish Government has just agreed to finance a pay deal which treats one group of local council workers far better than the rest of their colleagues.
The BBC reports that Scotland's teachers have been awarded a pay increase of 13.51% over three years while the rest of the local government workforce is getting just 9.5%.
Yet as readers of my blog have pointed out the cost of bread, milk or anything else for that matter is the same for a School Cleaner or a Classroom Assistant - as it is for a School Teacher.
As this is a 'cost of living' pay increase there is absolutely no justification for treating one group of workers far better than the rest.
So if I were still working for the trade union movement, I would be re-opening these pay negotiations with a demand for an extra 4% increase for Home Carers, School Cleaners, School Catering Workers, Clerical Workers, Nursery Staff and so on - because there is no way they should be treated as second class citizens when it comes to public sector pay.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-47487093
Scotland's teacher strike averted after improved pay offer
Scotland's largest teachers' union has called off its planned strike ballot after an improved pay offer was made.
The ballot of EIS members was due to get under way on Monday.
However, the new offer from the Scottish government was discussed by the union's national council this morning and the union is expected to urge members to accept it.
The EIS is calling the development a "significant success for Scotland's teachers."
Scotland's Education Secretary John Swinney said he had "looked again" at the pay offer and decided to "increase the funding".
The new offer is for:
- A 3% rise effective from last April
- A 7% rise this April
- A further 3% rise next April
The offer means a teacher who has not been promoted could earn more than £41,000 by next year - about £5,000 more than they earn just now.
The EIS received a letter outlining the new offer this morning ahead of a meeting of its national council.
The 11th-hour improvement follows a campaign by the EIS which has continued for more than a year.
Tackling workload
EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, "The EIS launched the Value Education, Value Teachers campaign in January last year, with the aim of securing a fair pay settlement for Scotland's teachers.
"Throughout the campaign, it became increasingly clear that - in addition to pay - teachers also have serious concerns about issues such as the recruitment and retention of teachers, professional development, workload, and the level of support for pupils with Additional Support Needs.
"These issues then became a factor in the ongoing discussions via the SNCT."
Mr Flanagan said the offer also includes;
- additional commitments aimed at tackling workload
- supporting teacher professional development
- and enhancing the teacher leadership programme.
"This offer represents a significant success for Scotland's teachers, and for Scottish education. It has been secured through strong campaigning under the Value Education, Value Teachers banner, and delivered through the committed collective stand taken by Scotland's teachers.
"By standing together and remaining united, our members have secured a strong deal for Scotland's teachers which will also deliver stability and security for Scottish education."
Education minister Mr Swinney welcomed the union's decision to suspend the ballot.
He said: "The Scottish government and Cosla made a strong offer to teachers which, by a narrow margin, was rejected. Given the importance we place on valuing teachers and improving the attractiveness of the profession, I have looked again at the investment the Scottish government is making."
Mr Swinney believed that the fresh offer would provide the "stability we need to make the reform Scotland's education system needs and deliver the best possible outcomes for our young people".
The NASUWT union intends to ballot its members on strike action later this month over concerns which include pay and workload.
However, because of the size of the EIS, if its members accept the pay offer there would appear to be no possibility of change to this latest offer.
Is this crisis over?
By Jamie McIvor, BBC Scotland education correspondent
By Jamie McIvor, BBC Scotland education correspondent
Image copyright - PA Image caption - Campaigning included a rally in George Square
Strike action is the ultimate weapon for any trade union.
For professionals like teachers, it can be a particularly difficult step to take.
Some in the profession today remember the bitter, long-running teachers dispute of the 1980s all too well - either as young teachers or as pupils.
To maintain the analogy of a strike as the nuclear option, some in the profession were clearly hopeful that moving to "Defcon 1" - the imminent threat of action - would prove enough to secure an improved pay offer.
And so it has proved.
Two previous pay offers had previously been described as final.
The government and councils clearly pulled out all the stops to avoid a teachers' strike.
The Scottish government wants to be judged on education. It knew all too well that few would judge its record on actual education policy if they saw teachers on a picket line and children getting days off school.
Both sides will be hoping now that the debate can move back on to education policy and practice - efforts to raise attainment and close the gap between how well children from relatively rich and poor backgrounds do. Genuine disagreements still exist - not least over standardised assessments in Primary 1.
Unions will be keen to ensure that efforts to deal with concerns about workload and resourcing are about more than good intent.
But after a 14 month campaign, it looks like peace has broken out.
Strike action is the ultimate weapon for any trade union.
For professionals like teachers, it can be a particularly difficult step to take.
Some in the profession today remember the bitter, long-running teachers dispute of the 1980s all too well - either as young teachers or as pupils.
To maintain the analogy of a strike as the nuclear option, some in the profession were clearly hopeful that moving to "Defcon 1" - the imminent threat of action - would prove enough to secure an improved pay offer.
And so it has proved.
Two previous pay offers had previously been described as final.
The government and councils clearly pulled out all the stops to avoid a teachers' strike.
The Scottish government wants to be judged on education. It knew all too well that few would judge its record on actual education policy if they saw teachers on a picket line and children getting days off school.
Both sides will be hoping now that the debate can move back on to education policy and practice - efforts to raise attainment and close the gap between how well children from relatively rich and poor backgrounds do. Genuine disagreements still exist - not least over standardised assessments in Primary 1.
Unions will be keen to ensure that efforts to deal with concerns about workload and resourcing are about more than good intent.
But after a 14 month campaign, it looks like peace has broken out.
Hypocrisy Over Public Sector Pay (03/02/19)
If 91% of Unison members think it's a good offer, why would the executive of Unite advise their members that it wasn't good enough?— Graham Pattie #ⅈℕⅅℽℝⅇƑ² #DissolveTheUnion (@GrahamP58) February 1, 2019
Surely they wouldn't play politics with their members livelihoods, would they?#LabourMischiefMakinghttps://t.co/ov26sae26b
Some SNP supporters are keen to bash the unions over public sector pay, but as you can see from this Twitter exchange the very same people are less enthusiastic about explaining how one group of workers are entitled to a better pay rise than their council colleagues.
The fact of the matter is that the Scottish Government is guilty of rank hypocrisy over public sector pay - and union members have every right to be angry.
Mark Irvine @Mark1957
replying to @GrahamP58 @Scotsfox
If the Scottish Government believes that school teachers are worth a 12% pay increase over two year years - why aren't other council workers worth the same rise? Surely some council workers aren't more 'equal' than others since they all face the same cost of living pressures.
Hypocrisy Over Public Sector Pay (31/01/19)
I've had lost of comments on my post about the Scottish Government's hypocrisy over public sector pay, but the one that follows sums things up rather well of you ask me.
Bread n milk is the same price for us all bloody shocking
Bread n milk is the same price for us all bloody shocking
F
Now I think I'll share this particular post with Glasgow's constituency MSPs all of whom represent the SNP, of course.
And I would encourage readers to take heart from the equal pay campaign and ask their local MSPs what they have to say on the matter - including Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon who represents Glasgow Southside constituency.
I've posted their contact details below in the post dated 13/01/19.
Hypocrisy Over Public Sector Pay (30/01/19)
The BBC reports that the Scottish council employers, via COSLA, have made an improved pay offer to school teachers worth 9% to April 2019 and a further 3% in April 2020.
Compare that to the three year offer to the rest of the council workforce which is 3.5% to April 2019, plus 3% to April 2020 and another 3% to April 2021.
So after 2 years teachers' pay will rise by 12% while their council colleagues' pay will increase by just 9.5% after 3 years (the teachers pay increase is fully funded by the Scottish Government).
All of which begs the question - where is the fairness or social justice in paying one group of local council workers much more than another?
Because low paid council carers, cleaners, catering staff, clerical workers and classroom assistants all face exactly the same cost of living pressures as teachers.
And, of course, all Scottish council workers have endured the same policy of public sector pay restraint in recent years.
So if the Scottish Government can dig deep for teachers surely it should do the same for the rest of Scotland's local government workforce.
Teachers urged to reject pay offer
By Jamie McIvor - BBC Scotland
Image copyright - PA
Scotland's largest teachers' union is urging its members to turn down an improved pay offer.
Councillors had agreed to an enhanced pay offer, with a series of rises said to be worth 9% by April, with a further 3% next year.
The EIS will ballot its members but has recommended they reject the offer.
Teaching unions had been campaigning for a 10% one-year deal. Councils have said the offer was the most they could afford.
The EIS said its council "voted narrowly" to recommend rejection of the revised pay offer.
It agreed that the ballot communication will reflect the range of opinions expressed, and arguments both for and against the offer, to support members in "making an informed decision".
Scotland's largest teachers' union is urging its members to turn down an improved pay offer.
Councillors had agreed to an enhanced pay offer, with a series of rises said to be worth 9% by April, with a further 3% next year.
The EIS will ballot its members but has recommended they reject the offer.
Teaching unions had been campaigning for a 10% one-year deal. Councils have said the offer was the most they could afford.
The EIS said its council "voted narrowly" to recommend rejection of the revised pay offer.
It agreed that the ballot communication will reflect the range of opinions expressed, and arguments both for and against the offer, to support members in "making an informed decision".
Funding
EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said: "Following today's decision at council, it will now be for our members to decide on whether to accept or reject this revised offer."
The Scottish government had indicated it would give councils money to pay for the enhanced deal.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: "It is extremely disappointing that EIS council have voted to recommend rejection of the enhanced offer agreed by Cosla earlier today and by such a narrow margin.
"This offer would see teachers receive a minimum 9% increase between January 2018 and April 2019, with a further 3% rise in April 2020.
"It is a clear indication of our commitment to recruit and retain teachers and is unmatched in the public sector. The Scottish government will provide the funding for pay restructuring in addition to the local government settlement."
Analysis: A profession on the edge over a pay dispute
EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said: "Following today's decision at council, it will now be for our members to decide on whether to accept or reject this revised offer."
The Scottish government had indicated it would give councils money to pay for the enhanced deal.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said: "It is extremely disappointing that EIS council have voted to recommend rejection of the enhanced offer agreed by Cosla earlier today and by such a narrow margin.
"This offer would see teachers receive a minimum 9% increase between January 2018 and April 2019, with a further 3% rise in April 2020.
"It is a clear indication of our commitment to recruit and retain teachers and is unmatched in the public sector. The Scottish government will provide the funding for pay restructuring in addition to the local government settlement."
Analysis: A profession on the edge over a pay dispute
Image caption - Thousands of teachers from across Scotland protested in Glasgow on the issue of pay in October
The Scottish government announced details of the new offer two weeks ago.
Mr Swinney added: "We believe that this offer represents the fair pay rise that teachers deserve, and the consultative ballot planned by EIS still presents an opportunity to get this pay rise into their members' pockets as soon as possible."
The Scottish government announced details of the new offer two weeks ago.
Mr Swinney added: "We believe that this offer represents the fair pay rise that teachers deserve, and the consultative ballot planned by EIS still presents an opportunity to get this pay rise into their members' pockets as soon as possible."
Protest rally
The EIS and other teachers' unions asked for a 10% one-year rise effective from April last year.
In October, a massive protest took place in Glasgow which is believed to have been attended by about 30,000 people.
Two weeks ago, the EIS agreed to start a strike ballot with a view to action in March. The SSTA union has also warned of a ballot.
Some teachers have been passionately supporting the 10% pay claim because they believe their workload has increased significantly or because of other concerns they want addressed.
Others may believe the revised offer is the best which might be affordable at present.
The EIS and other teachers' unions asked for a 10% one-year rise effective from April last year.
In October, a massive protest took place in Glasgow which is believed to have been attended by about 30,000 people.
Two weeks ago, the EIS agreed to start a strike ballot with a view to action in March. The SSTA union has also warned of a ballot.
Some teachers have been passionately supporting the 10% pay claim because they believe their workload has increased significantly or because of other concerns they want addressed.
Others may believe the revised offer is the best which might be affordable at present.
Hypocrisy Over Public Sector Pay (13/01/19)
I shared my post on public sector pay with all Glasgow Councillors, MSPs and MPs - and I'll be interested to hear what, if anything, our elected representatives have to say for themselves on the subject.
Glasgow's equal pay claimants can join in if they like, by contacting their local Councillors, MSPs and MPs directly.
If so, I would argue that the elected representative has a duty to respond to their local constituents.
So here's a list of contact email addresses for Glasgow's MSPs and MPs.
Glasgow MSPs (Scottish Parliament)
Glasgow MPs (Westminster Parliament)
Glasgow MPs (Westminster Parliament)
David.Linden.mp@parliament.uk
Paul.Sweeney.mp@parliament.uk
Carol.Monaghan.mp@parliament.uk
Contact details for Glasgow Councillors can be found easily via the following link to the City Council's web site.
Sunday, 13 January 2019
Hypocrisy Over Public Sector Pay (13/01/19)
The Scottish Government is guilty of the most appalling hypocrisy over public sector pay.
Where is the fairness and social justice in an 'enhanced' pay rise for teachers when other groups of council workers have faced exactly the same pay restraint policies in recent years?
If Scotland's teachers deserve to be made a special case, so do the thousands of low paid workers in Glasgow City Council who have been fighting for their rights to equal pay for the past 12 years.
Read the full story via the link below to Paul Huctheon's piece in The Sunday Herald.
Swinney plan would give teachers 'enhanced' pay rise of 12%
By Paul Hutcheon - Sunday Herald
John Swinney
EDUCATION Secretary John Swinney has intervened in the row over teachers’ pay by proposing a 12% multi-year rise, in a bid to avert a classroom strike.
The largest teaching union yesterday gave its approval to open a statutory ballot over the pay dispute, with notice of the action being issued to local authority employers.
However, Swinney yesterday backed a revision to the rejected offer which he hopes will be accepted this month and end the standoff.
His move is the latest development in the long-running saga over the failure to reach a deal on teachers’ pay this year. Salaries are determined by a tripartite body including the Government, council representatives and unions.
The current offer, tabled the local authorities, would give teachers earning up to £80,000 a 3% rise in three consecutive years.
A second strand includes an overhaul of the pay scale which, if accepted, could add another 2% to the salaries of some teachers this year.
However, the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), which represents teachers, rejected the offer and is moving towards a strike ballot.
Swinney has now suggested a change to the pay scale element that would result in a 3% uplift from this month. The package is now believed to be worth 12% over fifteen months.
As an offer can only be made by council umbrella group COSLA, it is understood Swinney’s proposal will be discussed at the next tripartite meeting.
Swinney said yesterday: “I made this proposal to the EIS on Thursday. It is an enhanced offer and I will ask COSLA to agree this and to formally offer it to unions after 25 January. I believe this must be put to teachers for their consideration.
“I welcome the agreement by EIS to allow further time to reach an agreement. Industrial action is in no one’s interests not least our children and young people. That has been my focus and will continue to be until this resolved.
“I welcome the move by EIS to allow further time to reach an agreement. Industrial action is in no one’s interests not least our children and young people. That has been my focus and will continue to be until this is resolved.”
Swinney’s suggestion came as a specially convened meeting of the EIS Council gave the green light to strike action.
EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: "EIS Council has today approved the opening of a statutory strike ballot over pay.
"We have been negotiating for a year, on a pay claim that was due to be settled last April. Teachers' patience is now exhausted.
"Our preference has always been to agree a fair deal through negotiation, but we have been very clear, also, that we are prepared to take strike action should this be necessary to achieve an acceptable settlement.
"Ballot papers will be issued later this month. Clearly, once the actual ballot is under way, negotiations are suspended but prior to that we remain prepared to consider any improved pay offer. No offer has been forthcoming from our local authority employers, however.”
Scottish Greens MSP Ross Greer said: "Teachers are overworked, under-resourced and have suffered a 20% real terms pay cut. They will continue to have Green support in their campaign for fair pay."
A COSLA spokesperson said: “We remain in talks. It is in nobody’s interest to see industrial action.”
Who Gets What and Why? (07/09/16)
Over the past 16 years Scotland has put an extra £12.6 billion pounds in the pay of the country's school teachers, courtesy of the landmark McCrone Agreement which increased their basic pay by an eye-watering 23.5% in the year 2000.
The implementation cost of this fully funded pay increase was £800 million a year and this huge sum of money is now part of the Scottish Government's base budget - a budget which virtually double between 1997-2007, as did the spending power of Scotland's 32 local councils.
A year earlier the Scottish council employers signed up to the 1999 Single Status (Equal Pay) Agreement which was designed to tackle low pay at the bottom end of the local government pay ladder and sweep away years of widespread pay discrimination against a wide range of very low paid, female dominated jobs.
The 1999 Single Status Agreement covered over 100,000 of the lowest paid council employee and included cleaners, catering staff, clerical workers, classroom assistants, home carers and so on.
The cost of 'single status' was estimated at £450 million at the time, but unlike McCrone the landmark equal pay agreement was not fully funded and relied upon future pay settlements and productivity gains to achieve its worthy goals.
So looking back all these years later the position is that 70,000 teachers have benefited to the tune of £800 million every year while more than 100,000 of the lowest paid council employees have had to fight tooth and nail for their right to equal pay.
Interestingly, a debate is now underway about the standard of teaching in Scotland's schools and one body of opinion is that the underlying problems are exacerbated by relative poverty and poor living standards amongst working class parents.
Now I don't grudge teachers a decent pay increase, but I think it is obscene that one group of council employees should be treated so much better than another which is, of course, exactly what happened over the McCrone and Single Status pay agreements.
The McCrone Agreement was struck by the Labour/Lib Dem coalition government which was in power in Holyrood at the time, but the deal and allocation of an extra £800 million every year was supported by all of the mainstream political parties including the SNP which now dominates the political scene north of the border.
So the big question is how do the people at the bottom of the pay ladder catch up and improve their circumstances, comparatively speaking, if those above them in the pay pecking order keep pulling ahead?
If you ask me, a far better and more socially just use of that £800 million a year of public money would have been to allocate a large chunk of it to the people at the bottom of the pay ladder.
But for this to happen, in future, the government of the day will need to stop using public money to bolster the interests of comparatively well paid groups in Scottish society who also benefit hugely and disproportionately from other areas of public policy such as free university tuition and the extension of free school meals.
Who Gets What and Why? (06/04/16)
I've been saying for a long time that in these tough economic times people living in rented accommodation have been getting a raw deal compared to their neighbours and friends who have a mortgage.
And that's because mortgage payers have seen their housing costs fall significantly over the past five years with interest rates being at artificially low levels - whereas the cost of rented accommodation keeps going up as this article from the BBC web site shows with a big increase of 7.63% in West Dunbartonshire Council, for example.
Yet to add insult to injury the Scottish Government has announced extra spending on free school meals for a Primary 1-3 school pupils which is worth £114 million over two years or around £330 a year for each child - for families with children.
But not to the less well off families of course because their children already receive free school meals, so all these extra millions of pounds are going to support the better off - like Scotland's school teachers who enjoy much better than average pay.
Now Scotland's largest teaching union, the EIS, has been campaigning in support of these changes which is understandable as it is clearly in the interest of EIS members, but the bigger question is "Is such a policy fair and socially responsible?".
I say "No" because in my view the money would be much better spent on targeting the the less well off instead of further cushioning the lives of the better paid, especially when you stop and think that the majority of teachers will have been benefiting from the mortgage situation over the past five years.
So if you ask me, the Scottish Government and the Scottish Parliament has got this all wrong - the lower paid are the ones who deserve a break not people in already well paid jobs.
West Dunbartonshire Council announces housing rent rise
Rents for council house tenants in West Dunbartonshire are to rise by 7.63% from 1 April, it has been announced.
The council said the increase would add an extra £4.67 each week to the average weekly rent over the year.
Housing convener, Cllr David McBride, said the rent rise was "needed to pay for the major improvements required to our properties".
He added: "Increasing rents is never an easy decision but I believe our tenants understand why we need to do this."
P1-3 pupils in Scotland to get free school meals
The Scottish government matched a plan being introduced in England
All Scottish P1-P3 pupils will get free school meals from January 2015, First Minister Alex Salmond has announced.
He said the move, affecting 165,000 youngsters, would boost health and was worth £330 a year for each child to families.
The move matches a plan being introduced in England, in September this year.
Opposition parties accused the Scottish government of playing catch-up, and taking credit for Westminster policies.
The first minister also told the Scottish Parliament that free childcare would be expanded to every two-year-old from a workless household in Scotland by August, affecting about 8,400 youngsters.
Mr Salmond said a further extension of the policy to reach 15,400 two-year-olds by August 2015 would see Scotland delivering 80 million hours of childcare to pre-school children, which he said was the greatest amount in the UK.
The free meals announcement came after UK ministers announced plans to offer pupils in the first three years of primary school in England a free cooked lunch.
All Scottish P1-P3 pupils will get free school meals from January 2015, First Minister Alex Salmond has announced.
He said the move, affecting 165,000 youngsters, would boost health and was worth £330 a year for each child to families.
The move matches a plan being introduced in England, in September this year.
Opposition parties accused the Scottish government of playing catch-up, and taking credit for Westminster policies.
The first minister also told the Scottish Parliament that free childcare would be expanded to every two-year-old from a workless household in Scotland by August, affecting about 8,400 youngsters.
Mr Salmond said a further extension of the policy to reach 15,400 two-year-olds by August 2015 would see Scotland delivering 80 million hours of childcare to pre-school children, which he said was the greatest amount in the UK.
The free meals announcement came after UK ministers announced plans to offer pupils in the first three years of primary school in England a free cooked lunch.
Scottish ministers followed suit, partly by using extra money going to Scotland, through the Barnett Formula, as a consequence of the English plan.
Mr Salmond said the Scottish government announcements would bring improvements, but fell short of the childcare revolution which Scotland needed.
Ahead of the independence referendum on 18 September, the Scottish government said all three and four-year-olds, and vulnerable two-year-olds, would get 1,140 hours of childcare a year by the end of the first parliament, in the event of a "Yes" vote.
But opposition parties said SNP ministers had the devolved powers to realise their childcare plans now.
Mr Salmond told MSPs: "We need to create a tax welfare and childcare system that doesn't plunge children into poverty, as the UK government is doing, that puts us on a par with the best childcare systems in the world.
"That is why the future of Scotland's children is the future of Scotland, and why Scotland's future is an independent one."
Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont said the free school meals plan was promised by the SNP in 2007, but never delivered, adding: "Now it has been reprised, because the UK government has acted on it and provided the money."
She said of Mr Salmond's childcare vision: "What he had was an opportunity to show his new-found commitment to childcare was more than a referendum ploy and start delivering for working families and children now."
Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, added: "A cynic might say that the SNP, having promised the earth and failed to deliver for years, has only now re-discovered its commitment to free school meals because the coalition government is delivering it.
"Today, we have a Westminster policy delivered with Westminster money, and the SNP playing catch-up but trying to claim the credit."
From Democracy Live: Alex Salmond announced his plan in parliament
However, the free school meal and childcare expansion plan, being funded at a total cost of £114m over two years, was welcomed by Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, a long-time campaigner on the issue.
"The best educational investment we can make is in two-year-olds, because that can change their life," he said.
"If we're going to break the inter-generational cycle of poverty we can make efforts at later stages - we can do stuff about youth unemployment, we can try and improve life chances through schools - but the best impact we can make is in doing it at the age of two."
John Dickie, head of the Child Poverty Action Group, told BBC Scotland the school meals announcement was long overdue, adding: "The pressures on families and their ability to support their children are extraordinary, so providing a free school lunch to children in primary one to primary three is a very immediate, direct and well-evidenced way of supporting families at a time of increasing pressures."
Scottish Labour leader Johann Lamont said the free school meals plan was promised by the SNP in 2007, but never delivered, adding: "Now it has been reprised, because the UK government has acted on it and provided the money."
She said of Mr Salmond's childcare vision: "What he had was an opportunity to show his new-found commitment to childcare was more than a referendum ploy and start delivering for working families and children now."
Ruth Davidson, the Scottish Conservative leader, added: "A cynic might say that the SNP, having promised the earth and failed to deliver for years, has only now re-discovered its commitment to free school meals because the coalition government is delivering it.
"Today, we have a Westminster policy delivered with Westminster money, and the SNP playing catch-up but trying to claim the credit."
From Democracy Live: Alex Salmond announced his plan in parliament
However, the free school meal and childcare expansion plan, being funded at a total cost of £114m over two years, was welcomed by Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Willie Rennie, a long-time campaigner on the issue.
"The best educational investment we can make is in two-year-olds, because that can change their life," he said.
"If we're going to break the inter-generational cycle of poverty we can make efforts at later stages - we can do stuff about youth unemployment, we can try and improve life chances through schools - but the best impact we can make is in doing it at the age of two."
John Dickie, head of the Child Poverty Action Group, told BBC Scotland the school meals announcement was long overdue, adding: "The pressures on families and their ability to support their children are extraordinary, so providing a free school lunch to children in primary one to primary three is a very immediate, direct and well-evidenced way of supporting families at a time of increasing pressures."
Analysis
BBC Political editor, Scotland
Alex Salmond's critics suggested his enthusiasm for free school meals was driven by external factors: the availability of cash from the Treasury as a consequence of the previous announcement of a comparable scheme for England; a desire to cosset parents - and especially mothers - with an eye to the referendum.
The first minister insisted he was persuaded by the advantages of the policy: it encouraged uptake including among those who were nominally eligible at present; it improved the health and wellbeing of youngsters and thus their educational attainment
Alex Salmond's critics suggested his enthusiasm for free school meals was driven by external factors: the availability of cash from the Treasury as a consequence of the previous announcement of a comparable scheme for England; a desire to cosset parents - and especially mothers - with an eye to the referendum.
The first minister insisted he was persuaded by the advantages of the policy: it encouraged uptake including among those who were nominally eligible at present; it improved the health and wellbeing of youngsters and thus their educational attainment
Give to the Needy (29 December 2013)
In the run up to Christmas Scotland's largest teaching union, the EIS, burst into fairy-lights by demanding that Scotland's 'share' of the extra public spending announced recently by the Coalition Government at Westminster - should be used to provide free school meals to all children in primaries 1, 2 and 3.
Now this is serious money we're talking about - around £60 million a year, I think, because Scotland will expect to get 10% or so of the extra public spending announced by the Chancellor, George Osborne, in his autumn statement.
Which is of course a free handout of taxpayers money to people who earn above average incomes - because school meals are already free to people on low incomes and to those claiming benefits.
So, the big beneficiaries of the new policy in England and Wales are the better off - since the less well off gain absolutely nothing from extending free school meals to children whose working parents are perfectly well able to meet the cost themselves.
In fact the policy benefits people exactly like EIS members, as I can't believe that any of Scotland's teachers currently qualify for free school meals - as things stand.
But if I had a Magic Wand, I would target this £60 million on the less well off and probably not just those with children - since that leaves out a great many people who have never had children or whose kids have grown up.
To my mind, £60 million spent on those most in need, would do far more good than spreading £60 million across the whole population - or in this case just people with children of a certain age.
Now some people say that social benefits should be 'universal' or available to everyone on the same basis - free NHS prescriptions in Scotland are a good example although they are not really free since the cost is met out of general taxation.
Yet this approach does not apply to the cost of housing and I've written before about the £20 billion windfall that mortgage payers have enjoyed in recent times which has not been shared with people who rent their homes or living on a fixed income.
So why not use the extra money in a more meaningful and imaginative way, for example, by holding down rents in the social housing sector?
Because this particular group within the Scottish population has not benefited from the artificially low interest rates that Scotland's mortgage payers have experienced in the past 5 years - which means that since 2008 mortgage payers have effectively been receiving special treatment as far as their standard of living is concerned.
A much better and fairer use of £60 million, if you ask me, as such a policy would put a significant amount of money in the pockets of those at the bottom of the income ladder - instead of subsidising members of the teaching profession and EIS (Educational Institute of Scotland).
The statistics tell their own tale - Scotland's share of the great £20 billion mortgage windfall is around £2 billion which makes £60 million look like chickenfeed.
So the argument about universality, about everyone being treated the same way, does not stand up to serious scrutiny.
