SCHOOL strikes across East Lothian have been cancelled after members of the Education Institute of Scotland (EIS) voted overwhelmingly to accept a pay deal from the Scottish Government.

Under the deal, which was announced by Scottish education secretary Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP, teachers earning up to £80,000 will see their pay rise by 6 per cent from April 2022, and a further 5.5 per cent from the start of the 2023 financial year.

Andrea Bradley, EIS general secretary, said: “EIS members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the current pay offer, with 90 per cent of those voting opting to accept in an online ballot.

“Turnout in the ballot was also high, confirming that Scotland’s teachers believe that it is now time to accept the offer and bring an end to the programme of industrial action in our schools.”

“The acceptance of this offer will mean that, for most teachers, their pay will increase by 12.3 per cent by next month in comparison to current pay levels.

"Teachers will also receive a further 2 per cent increase in pay from January next year, with the next pay settlement then scheduled to be negotiated and payable from August 2024 onwards.

“The total current package will amount to a 14.6 per cent increase in pay for most teachers by January 2024.

“EIS members have taken a pragmatic decision in voting to accept the current pay offer.

“While it does not meet our aspirations in respect of a restorative pay settlement for Scotland’s teachers, it is the best deal that can realistically be achieved in the current political and financial climate without further prolonged industrial action.

“It compares favourably with recent pay settlements across the public sector, and does provide pay certainty for Scotland’s teachers for the next 16 months until the next pay settlement is scheduled to be delivered in August 2024.

“It is deeply regrettable that it took a sustained industrial dispute, and the first programme of national strike action on pay by teachers in 40 years, for the Scottish Government and COSLA to finally come up with an acceptable pay offer for Scotland’s hard-working teaching professionals.

“Scotland’s pupils, parents and teachers deserve better, and the Scottish Government and Scotland’s local authorities must commit to ensuring that education is properly funded, and that teachers are fairly paid, in all future years in order that Scottish education can provide as it should for our young people and for the good of our whole society.”

Plans had been in place for a further three days of strike action across the county next week. But now that a deal has been reached, schools will remain open.

Shirley-Anne Somerville MSP labelled the latest deal a “historic offer” which she said would see teacher pay “increase by 33% from January 2018 to January 2024”.

She said when the offer was tabled last week: “We have looked for compromise and we have arrived at a deal that is fair, affordable and sustainable for everyone involved.

"The Scottish Government is supporting this deal with total funding of over £320 million across this year and next.”