TEACHERS in three council areas have voted overwhelmingly in favour of declaring a formal dispute over cliaims of a failure to provide a safe working environment for staff during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In Glasgow the support for industrial action was strongest with 93% of teachers backing a move to a dispute as 75% of staff turned out to vote.

They were joined by colleagues in West Dunbartonshire where 91% of teachers backed the move to a dispute, on a turnout of 75%.

In Fife, 90% of teachers voted in favour, on a turnout of 53%.

The EIS Local Associations in these areas, the teaching union said, will be seeking an urgent response from the councils involved. 

Glasgow City Council said it was in discussions with the union and pointed to Public Health Scotland data showing teachers are not at higher risk of being hospitalised than the general population.

EIS General Secretary Larry Flanagan said, “These votes are clear evidence of the anxieties teachers feel with regard to school covid security.

"The First Minister has cited rising infection levels in parts of the country and hinted that some areas may have to move back to Level 4 - all the more likely if there is a post-Christmas spike in infection levels.

“We have seen schools in Wales move to remote learning as part of the effort to drive down infection levels and yet in Scotland there isn’t a single additional mitigation put in place for schools even at Level 4.

"Teachers want to see schools open but not at all costs.

"Both the Scottish Government and local authorities should be transparent in setting out the benchmarks which would trigger a move to remote or blended learning.”

A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “The local branch has issued us today with their declaration of dispute and we will continue the dialogue with our staff and professional associations about our commitment to make our schools and nurseries as safe as possible during these challenging times and in the midst of the ongoing global pandemic.

“Public Health Scotland has just published data on enhanced surveillance of Covid-19 in education settings today.

“Key findings include that teachers are not at increased risk of being hospitalised for Covid-19 compared to the population as a whole and that children diagnosed with covid continue to be in areas with higher community prevalence, and intelligence from local investigations of school cases continue to indicate that transmission is occurring predominantly outside of school, in social and household settings.”

Councillor Allan Young, workforce spokesman for the Scottish Greens, said: “This overwhelming vote in favour of declaring a trade dispute shows the strength of feeling among teachers that their concerns have been consistently ignored since schools returned.

“The council must now take note of their concerns and most importantly it must act urgently to reassure teachers of their safety. Scottish Greens stand in solidarity with EIS members and other school staff in taking action they feel is necessary to get the support they deserve.”