School strikes in six areas may be avoided after deal reached

Strikes at schools in six council areas across Scotland over teacher workloads could be avoided after progress in talks between a union and the Scottish government. The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said a draft agreement to end the dispute had been reached, however it also needs to be acceptable to local council body Cosla. The EIS issued a formal 10-day notice to employers for industrial action last week over a failure to provide teachers with an additional 90 minutes non-contact time. Cosla leaders are scheduled to meet on Friday to discuss the agreement and, if approved, it would halt the planned strike action. Walkouts were proposed across two days at schools in Glasgow, East Renfrewshire, Dundee, Fife, Perth and Kinross and Moray. EIS members previously voted overwhelmingly in favour of the action, with 85% of those who took part in the ballot backing the move. The union wants councils and the Scottish government to do more to cut the maximum time each teacher can spend in front of a class by 90 minutes, as pledged in the SNP's 2021 Holyrood election manifesto. Last year, the Scottish government announced proposals for teachers to be given a "flexible" four-day teac