SCOTTISH Labour leader Richard Leonard blasted the SNP government today  for denying “undervalued” teachers a decent pay rise.

He warned that the Holyrood administration would fail to close the attainment gap in Scottish schools if it continued its current pay policy.

Teaching unions EIS, SSTA, NASUWT and Voice rejected a 3 per cent pay offer earlier this week. Unions are campaigning for a 10 per cent rise, saying that real earnings have fallen by a quarter over the past decade.

The EIS has a mandate to hold a strike ballot if employers do not offer a decent rise.

At First Minister’s Questions today, Mr Leonard asked: “Is it any wonder that Scottish teachers feel undervalued?”

He accused the SNP government of failing to deliver on its professed commitment to education, through causing avoidable strikes that would close down Scottish schools. But he said he would join teachers on picket lines if necessary.

Ms Sturgeon said it was “a bit rich” that Mr Leonard was criticising the pay offer when her government had lifted the 1 per cent cap on public-sector pay rises. She argued that the Labour administration in Wales had failed to do so.

Teachers’ pay in Scotland is negotiated through the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT) — a tripartite body where unions, councils and the government meet.

An EIS spokesman said this meant that teachers were “technically not subject to the Scottish government's stated pay policy” and that an offer based on this would not be accepted.

“While a fair negotiated settlement remains our preferred route, other options, up to and including strike action, remain available in the event that a negotiated agreement cannot be reached via the SNCT,” the spokesman added.