The Scottish government has been accused of being complacent to concerns of teachers, after the Education Institute of Scotland voted in favour of a ballot for industrial action that includes strikes.

Following the decision, Labour’s education spokesperson Rhona Brankin said: “The decision by EIS is quite remarkable and it shows the true depth of feeling within the teaching profession against the education cuts being perpetrated by the SNP.

“From Aberdeen to Renfrewshire the true picture of education services being subjected to the slash and burn policy of the nationalists is starting to emerge.

“Labour will not sit back and let this happen and although Alex Salmond might try and laugh off these cuts in Parliament the parents, teachers and pupils of many Scottish schools are being badly let down by his government's blasé attitude to education.”

However, a Scottish Government spokeswoman said it is the responsibility of each council to allocate the total financial resources available to them on the basis of local needs and priorities, adding that all 32 Councils have now shared their draft Single Outcome Agreements (SOA's) with the Scottish Government, which will be finalised by the end of June.

She added: “We are disappointed EIS have passed this motion targeted at some local authorities. Motions for industrial action were also passed in 2004 and 2006, but this government has put in place the policies and provided the necessary funding to reduce class sizes in early years.

"As part of the historic concordat with local government, COSLA and the Scottish Government are working in partnership to deliver year on year progress to reduce class sizes to 18 in Primary 1-3.

“We have increased funding to local government by more than 13 per cent over the next three years. For each of those three years, we are also spending a higher percentage of our overall budget on local government than the position we inherited from the previous administration.

“Alongside this increase in resources, we've enabled local authorities - for the first time - to retain all the efficiency savings they make to invest in frontline services including education. We've also devolved to them significant flexibility in terms of how they spend their resources.”

She added: “It's important to remember that education accounts for a significant proportion - almost half - of a local authority's budget.

"This record funding and the settlement itself, provides sufficient resources for Local Authoritiess to maintain the employment of the teacher numbers at around 53,000. By doing this - in the face of falling school rolls - they can reduce class sizes.”

Liz Smith, the Conservative Shadow Minister for Children, Schools & Skills, said the vote was disappointing news.

She said: “Whilst I appreciate that teachers are having to cope with many concerns at present, not least the cutbacks in many local authority education budgets, taking strike action is not the answer. Due to the SNP's cack-handedness, class sizes are a political issue, and whilst there are some issues to deal with in our education system, threatening to hold to ransom our children in Scotland's first teachers' strike in 20 years is not the responsible way to act. The pupils' interests should always be paramount and this will only damage their education.

“Teachers have regained public respect in recent years and they have done well out of the devolution process and the McCrone agreement. Strike action will threaten all that and particularly at a time when there are important curriculum changes on the agenda.

“I can't help feeling today's developments will lead to a mood of public resentment and the EIS might well find their move backfires on them. I hope the EIS will think again as the last set of teaching strikes did untold damage to our schools.”

Related news items:

• 'All systems go' for Glasgow super campus
• Aberdeen and Edinburgh to receive Commonwealth Games Legacy
• Aberdeen launches degrees to boost health education
• Abolition of transport disability body “will reduce voice of
• Above average unemployment among Scottish graduates