SECONDARY teachers in Inverclyde are set to take industrial action over what they describe as their ‘excessive’ workload.

Members of the country’s largest teaching union, the EIS, have voted overwhelmingly for a work to rule linked to new school qualifications.

Inverclyde EIS secretary Tom Tracey says the result of the ballot, with 95 per cent voting for industrial action, showed that teachers were frustrated and their patience had snapped. Possible action might include refusing to provide cover for colleagues, not attending seminars and sticking to time agreements on any work associated with developing the qualifications. 

Mr Tracey said: “The target of the action is Scottish Qualifications Authority bureaucracy and excessive internal assessment demands, which are a burden on both teachers and pupils.

“The intention of any industrial action is not to impact on the pupils directly, but to boycott some SQA activity.

“Guidance will be sent to schools before any action takes place, advising teachers what to do or not to do during the work to contract.

“The Scottish Government and SQA must now deliver quickly on their promise to reduce the assessment burden.”

Education secretary John Swinney said the result of the ballot was disappointing on what appeared to be a low turnout taking part in the vote.

He added: “Given that we are addressing the issues of teacher workload, industrial action in our schools would not be in the interests of anyone, least of all pupils and parents.”