STAFF at the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) could go on strike before the agency is scrapped, amid concerns that the change in system could leave staff in limbo. 

The SQA is due to be replaced as part of plans to reform the education system in Scotland, but the Unite branch says staff have not been consulted about their future.

Exams are due to go ahead as normal this year, as the government considers overhauling the system. But staff have raised concerns that talks about the replacement for the SQA could go on for years, leaving staff in the lurch. 

The Unite branch at the SQA is due to hold a consultative ballot on strike action.

Unite industrial officer Alison MacLean told the Herald newspaper  that there could be an impact on the exam diet and that the decision has become a political football. 

She said that staff were being asked to continue with a smile on their face regardless of the concerns they have. 

A Unite spokesman said: “Unite’s members are furious at the current situation they are facing after several tumultuous years working at the SQA.

“Confidence in the chief executive and the entire SQA executive management team is at an all-time low.”

Scottish Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville has said work to reform Scotland’s exams will begin in the new year.

Exams themselves will not be scrapped, but a group led by Professor Louise Hayward of Glasgow University will advise ministers on a new system.

An SQA spokeswoman said any threat of action was disappointing and the body has continually pressed for commitments on job security from the government.

A Scottish government spokesman said it appreciated concerns and was committed to protecting employment rights.