“The news emerging today regarding the latest victory by Scotland’s largest and most formidable teaching union is a staggering testament to the power of collective action. It is a reminder of what happens when we refuse to be silenced and instead stand together as the singular, strongest voice for educators in Scotland.
The headline is the one we have all been waiting for: a significant, meaningful reduction in class contact time. Under this new agreement, maximum contact hours will be slashed by 90 minutes every single week. This is not merely about shorter days; it is a hard-won triumph designed to reclaim that essential time for preparation, marking, and planning. It is a massive leap towards finally dismantling the crushing workload that has pushed so many to the brink—a primary driver of the mental health crisis and the exodus of teachers and teaching assistants from our schools. It brings the 35-hour week, so long a fiction, closer to a reality.
Because the Scottish Government must now recruit thousands of new colleagues to facilitate this, the transition will be phased. For those in primary and special education, full implementation is set for August 2027; for secondary colleagues, the horizon is August 2029.
Crucially, our campaigning has ensured this is no mere “pipe dream” but a fully funded reality. The Scottish Government has committed to the shift, beginning with a £40 million investment in 2026-27 specifically to ignite teacher recruitment. Furthermore, a dedicated £1 million annual fund has been secured for our rural and island communities, enabling local councils to offer the housing and relocation incentives necessary to staff these vital posts.
Seeing our collective persistence translate into more jobs and genuine breathing space is a profound moment for the union and for the future of Scottish education.
I am reminded of a colleague who, while explaining the history of the labour movement to students, remarked: “It’s the reason you aren’t up chimneys.” That is the essence of what we do. For years, the relentless pressure of Tory-led austerity—ballooning class sizes, a bureaucracy that expands even as they claim to cut it, the placement of children with complex needs in increasingly stressful environments, and the rise of precarious contracts—has stripped this profession of its joy and its creativity.
Today’s tripartite agreement between the EIS, the Scottish Government, and COSLA is a vital step in rebuilding a public service that was deliberately targeted by the 2010 Coalition and the chaotic, often lawless, Tory administrations that followed.”
