SNP minister insists teacher pay offer is 'very fair' as strikes set to close schools

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An SNP minister has refused to say if more cash could be found for teachers in a bid to halt strikes which will close schools.Last-ditch talks between the Scottish Government and unions are scheduled for today but there is no sign a deal will be agreed between the two.Jamie Hepburn, the education minister, today insisted an offer of five per cent for most teachers was "fair".The MSP said combined with other pay rises it would mean salaries for the majority will have increased by 21.8 per cent since since 2018.Teaching unions are pressing for a 10 per cent rise with members of the EIS, NASUWT and SSTA all due to strike next week – affecting primary schools on January 10 and then secondary schools on January 11.Asked directly if teachers would be offered more money, the minister said a "very fair and affordable offer" had been made.Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Hepburn stressed rising inflation meant the Scottish Government budget was now worth less than when it was set, adding that the requirement on ministers to ensure a balanced budget meant that “we don’t have fiscal latitude”.Hepburn stated: "If you actually look at what we have offered, it is 6.85 per cent uplift for the lowest paid teachers, five per cent for most and £3,000 for those earning £60,000 or more."That would representative a 21.8 per cent cumulative pay increase for most teachers since 2018.Asked if this was the final offer, Hepburn said: "Discussions will continue, but this is a fair and fundamentally an affordable offer and it would ensure that teachers in Scotland remain by some measure the best paid teaching staff in the UK."We want to make sure we have that edge for teachers in Scotland and the offer we have got on the table would ensure that.”To