THE salaries of Scottish teachers have slipped behind their international colleagues over the past decade, according to new figures.
A major report on education systems around the developed world found the value of pay for secondary staff in Scotland is now ranked 19th out of 37 countries.
In 2007 - when the SNP came to power - the equivalent survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) ranked Scotland eighth in the developed world.
The report states: "In contrast to the general trend across OECD countries, teachers’ statutory salaries in ... Scotland were worth less in real terms in 2015 than they were in 2005.
"For teachers with typical qualifications and 15 years of experience, and accounting for inflation over the period 2005-15, statutory salaries were worth ... six per cent less in Scotland across all levels of education.
"This compares to average real terms increases in teachers’ statutory salaries across OECD countries of six per cent at primary level, six per cent at lower secondary and four per cent at upper secondary level."
The survey has been published at a time when some Scottish schools are facing severe teacher shortages, particularly in rural areas and in key subjects such as science.
Last month, The Herald revealed there were nearly 700 teacher vacancies unfilled at the beginning of the new school year.
The Scottish Government has launched a number of strategies to attract new talent including controversial fast-track teacher training courses.
However, unions argue that a major disincentive for graduates is the decreasing value of teachers' pay.
Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said the report confirmed teachers had seen their salaries cut.
He said: "The government can no longer claim that cuts to teachers’ pay were an inevitable result of the global economic crisis.
"It was a political choice, in this country, to cut teachers’ pay and it is a decision that has contributed to the growing recruitment challenge and teacher shortages that exist in many parts of the country.
"It is more clear than ever that corrective action must be taken now to reverse this decline and to give our teachers a proper pay rise and fair salaries for the vital work that they do.”
In Scotland, teachers have not yet received a pay settlement for 2017/18 and discussions are continuing. The EIS has already rejected a one per cent pay offer from employers.
The survey by the OECD - which converts salaries to US dollars - shows Luxembourg, Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands at the top of the international pay scales.
England sits just above the OECD average of $44,623 with Scotland, where classroom teachers can earn up to £35,000, just below the average.
First Nicola Sturgeon has signalled her intention to lift current public sector pay caps, but teachers believe a much more fundamental review of teachers' pay is required.
The OECD report also highlighted the fact - as in most countries - the average salaries of Scottish teachers are lower than the earnings of UK graduates.
In Scotland, teachers earnings in 2015 were 82 per cent of the average earnings of full-time, 25-64 year-old graduates.
Country Salary After 15 years (USD)
Luxembourg 113,136
Germany 74,078
Netherlands 69,268
Canada 65,621
United States 162,369
Australia 59,425
Ireland 58,040
Denmark 55,999
Belgium 50,652
Japan 50,636
Korea 49,655
Austria 48,422
Spain 48,336
England 47,070
Norway 45,771
Costa Rica 45,442
OECD average 44,623
New Zealand 44,607
Scotland 43,795
Finland 43,774
Sweden 41,720
Portugal 39,129
Slovenia 38,954
France 37,638
Italy 36,777
Mexico 36,742
Colombia 32,686
Israel 32,509
Turkey 30,408
Chile 27,684
Poland 25,375
Greece 25,077
Czech Republic 19,403
Hungary 19,284
Lithuania 18,369
Slovak Republic 17,930
Latvia 8,872
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