Skip to main content
Scottish Greens U-turn on teacher cuts as strike looms
Teachers from the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) union take part in a rally outside the constituency office of Education Secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville in Dunfermline, Fife, during their strike action in dispute over pay, February 22, 2023

GREEN councillors on Scotland’s largest local authority have vowed to call a halt to teacher cuts they backed last year.

Glasgow City Council passed a joint SNP-Green budget in 2024 that included plans to slash 450 teaching posts over three years.

Despite campaigning by unions, parents and students, teaching union EIS estimates a year on that around 300 posts have already gone.

But ahead of the union’s planned strike action to coincide with this year’s budget meeting on February 20, Glasgow Greens have written to EIS confirming that they will table proposals to halt the cuts.

Councillor Blair Anderson, the Scottish Greens education spokesman, said: “For the first time in many years, council budgets have benefited from increased investment this year, thanks largely to the end of the Tory government at Westminster.

“All councillors, Greens included, have been forced by austerity to face awful budget choices in recent years, including cuts to teacher numbers.

“Thankfully, now that we have some breathing space in our budgets, Greens are prioritising our schools and ending the threat of more teacher cuts.”

Glasgow Labour education spokeswoman Jill Pidgeon responded: “After their slashing of the numbers last year, I can only hope the Greens are true to their word.”

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Britain / 14 February 2025
14 February 2025
Teachers from the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) un
Britain / 9 February 2025
9 February 2025
Lecturers and other university staff take part in a rally on
Britain / 5 February 2025
5 February 2025
GMB rep Sean O’Neil addressing marchers
Britain / 25 June 2024
25 June 2024