McCrone - What does it really mean?

English and Welsh teachers are looking jealously at the deal secured by Scottish teachers which unions claim guarantees them a 35-hour week with a third of the time set aside for marking and preparation.

While the McCrone inquiry promises far more than the employers and Government are prepared to even consider in England and Wales, Ray Gunnion from the Scottish Federation of Socialist Teachers warns that the reality of McCrone may not match teachers’ expectations.

The Hype v. Reality

Scottish teachers voted to accept the McCrone deal. However, it is significant that where the deal was properly debated, there were majorities to reject it. The sweetener is a 21.5% rise to be paid over three years. Apart from the effects of inflation over this extended period, this ‘award’ is actually no more than paid compulsory overtime to meet the increase in contract hours.

What counts as a 35 hour week ?

The conditions spin claims that a new phased-in 35 hour week (increased from a 29.5 hour week) will mean that teachers will no longer need to take work home. "You can burn your school-bags if you agree to this deal !" said an EIS official at a North Lanarkshire meeting. The reality is that the extra hours will increasingly fall under the control of management and preparation and correction of classwork will still need to be taken home.

Where are the teachers ?

There is a promise of the eventual creation of 4000 new teacher posts. These new jobs would mean less than one teacher per Scottish school; but we are told this will be enough to reduce class contact to 22.5 hours a week. Furthermore, 3500 classroom assistants, considerably less than one per school, will miraculously take away all the administration which presently swamps the classroom teacher.

Unresolved issues !

Perhaps the most important question arising from the deal is how much has still to be revealed after it has been accepted. The document admits that there are sixteen issues still to be resolved and need further negotiating. Some are of extreme importance, particularly further details on the exact nature of the accreditation for the new Chartered Teacher. ( Editor’s Note - a new higher scale along the lines of the "threshold" or the competency-related pay model defeated at the

Harrogate NUT Special Salaries Conference )

Continuing Professional Development

"An additional contractual 35 hours of CPD per annum will be introduced as a maximum for all teachers.... and shall be carried out at an

appropriate time and place"

How do you become a Chartered Teacher ?

"Progression through the Chartered Teacher grade will be by qualification, with access open to teachers who have relevant experience and who have maintained a CPD portfolio"

General Election

Our union leaders want pay and conditions off the political agenda before the lead up to the General Election. If we reject McCrone, it will mean industrial action, claim our leaders. We will lose "public support" if we fight for our rights and conditions. Scottish teachers face their ‘public’ in their classes every day. They do not need lectures from the press, politicians, and EIS negotiators, few of whom are now full-time classroom teachers. Teachers may have voted reluctantly for McCrone but we have to start the fight back to reclaim the EIS from the Blairites.