Thousands of teachers in Scotland have been involved in strikes to demand a Cl 5 a week flat rate increase. They are demanding that the £15 be granted as of now, in addition to the annual settlement.
In Glasgow there is a chronic shortage of teachers. Many schools have classes of 40 plus, Reacting against these conditions the Educational Institute of Scotlandthe Scottish teachers union-decided to impose a form of work to rule.
Local authorities responded to this by threatening to cut off des ignation allowances —a special allowance for disadvantaged schools. This action particularly affected Glasgow teachers who decided to set up Action Committees to org anise strikes against this move.
In September the ElS decided to press for an interim 10 per cent increase. This would have given more to the better-paid teachers and less to those at the bottom of the scale. The West of Scotland Action Group rejected this approach and insisted that the claim be a E15 a week across the board increase, nauld and the first meeting of this body has been set for Wednesday 30 October, The two Action Committees have not stood still. On 24 October over 2000 teachers from 210 schools in Glasgow, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire and Dumbartonshire, Joined by teachers from Cumbernauld, Fife and the East Coast held a mass meeting in the Apollo Centre, Glasgow scene of many strike meetings in recent weeks. time for many workers, they have found themselves in control of their ow strikes. Nearly every claim, if settled, would breach the social contract.
Success by the striking workers in weaker sections would also give huge confidence to the engincers and other strong sectors now prepuning their tactory claims-particularly with the AUEW executwe's latest moves to put off a natlE is no freak that these develop ments have come first in Scotland.
They are a direct result of the poli cies of British and world capital in Scotland and of the Labour Parly and STUC's response. Alan Freeman the victory of the devolutionists did not represent a late conversion to the politics of the Clydeside revolutionary, John MacLean. The trade union leaders had simply re cognised that if the Lahour Party in Scotland went to the polls with its present record and policy, it would suffer a cafastrophe at the