Educational Institute of Scotland explained

EIS
Location Country:	Scotland
Affiliation:	STUC, TUC, EI
Members:	56,342 (2022)^[1]
Full Name:	Educational Institute of Scotland
Founded:	1847
Headquarters:	Edinburgh, Scotland
Key People:	Andrea Bradley, General Secretary

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) (Gaelic; Scottish Gaelic: Institiud Foghlam na h-Alba) is the oldest teachers' trade union in the world, having been founded in 1847 when dominies became concerned about the effect of changes to the system of education in Scotland on their professional status.^{[2] [3]} The EIS is the largest teaching union in Scotland, representing 80% of the country's teachers and lecturers. it has 56,342 members.^[4]

General Secretaries

1910-1915: Samual Murray

1915-1922: Hugh Cameron

1922-1926: George Crossar Pringle

1926-1941: Tom Henderson

1941-1945: John Wishart

1945-1952: Alexander J. Belford

1952-1960: William Campbell

1960-1974: Gilbert Stewart Bryden

1974-1988: John D. Pollock

1988-1995: Jim Martin

1995-2012: Ronnie Smith

2012-2022: Larry Flanagan

2022-present: Andrea Bradley

Scottish Educational Journal

The Scottish Educational Journal (SEJ) is the magazine of the EIS, which has been appearing, formerly in tabloid format, since ca. 1917.

Fellowships

Since being granted a royal charter by Queen Victoria, it is the only union able to award degrees.^[5] A recipient of the EIS degree is a Fellow of the Educational Institute of Scotland, denoted by the post-nominal FEIS.

An early example of such a degree (awarded in December 1847) was worded as follows:^[6]

Industrial action

Threats of industrial action by the EIS evoke memories for many of the long-running teacher strikes of the 1980s ^{[7] [8]} During the 1984-86 industrial action almost 15 million pupil days were lost across Scotland.^[9] It was a sustained campaign of industrial action in Scottish education in opposition to the Conservative Government. Larry Flanagan has described it as “the first time that any group of workers, anywhere in the UK, successfully stood firm in defiance of a concerted, ideologically driven attack by the Tory government.”

Notes and References

1. Web site: Annual Return for a Trade Union. 18 July 2023. publishing.service.gov.uk.
2. Web site: Educational Institute of Scotland. 2021-09-27. Oxford Reference. en.
3. Web site: 150TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE OF SCOTLAND - Early Day Motions - UK Parliament. 2021-09-27. edm.parliament.uk. en.
4. Web site: Annual Return for a Trade Union. 18 July 2023. publishing.service.gov.uk.
5. "1851 Queen Victoria granted a Royal Charter to the EIS. Membership at the time: over 1,800. Among the powers conferred on the EIS was the power to award a degree of "Fellow of the Institute". In 2007, the EIS remains the only trade union which awards degrees." Web site: History of the EIS. Educational Institute of Scotland. 2008-01-12.
6. Handwritten copy by John G. Smith, appended to his letter dated 28 Sep 1864 to Southland Provincial Council, New Zealand - Extracted from Southland Provincial Papers, SP 14 Immigration (at very end of Roll 32) held at Invercargill Public Library, Southland, NZ
7. Web site: Threat of worst teaching strikes in Scotland since 1980s. 2021-09-27. HeraldScotland. 21 November 2018 . en.
8. Web site: Pensions row could bring first teachers' strike since the 80s. 2021-09-27. www.scotsman.com. 29 August 2011 . en.
9. Web site: Ross. Calum. Call to "let Scots stew" during 1980s Margaret Thatcher schools row. 2021-09-27. Press and Journal. 30 December 2014 . en-GB.