COUNCILS and the Scottish Government have agreed to write to teachers highlighting the merits of the latest pay offer.

Local authority leaders reached a joint agreement with ministers after a meeting of council umbrella body Cosla.

However, the move proved controversial with 18 council leaders voting in favour and 13 - mainly Labour and independent officials - voting against.

And while the the joint letter has been agreed, councils could still refuse to send it on to staff.

North Ayrshire Council has already indicated that it could refuse to pass on any correspondence arguing it undermines pay negotiations with trade unions.

Following the meeting a Cosla spokesman said: "Council leaders took the decision to jointly, with Scottish Government, write to teachers spelling out the value and merits of the pay offer currently on the table.

"This joint letter will be written with input and advice from the appropriate professional associations within councils.”

Yesterday, John Swinney, the Education Secretary, came under fire after details of the plan were leaked in advance of the Cosla meeting.

An email from Cosla to council chief executives published by The Herald said: "This initiative is intended to provide teachers and school leadership with clear and concise information about the pay offer and allow individual teachers to easily work out what the offer means for them.

"This is felt necessary to counter partial and misinformation appearing in the press and other media released by the Educational Institute of Scotland in particular.”

Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the EIS said the letter would be seen as a "gross interference" in the democratic processes of the trade unions.

Under the original pay deal teachers earning up to £36,500 would have received a three per cent pay rise, but this was revised so that it applied to everyone who earned up to £80,000.

Another £25m was found for a wider “restructuring” of the main grade scale, which was aimed at improving recruitment and retention.

Education sources said a combination of the two elements would result in some teachers getting in excess of 10 per cent.

However, the EIS recommended that its members reject the pay offer in a consultative ballot and the union will stage a national demonstration in support of its 10 per cent claim for all on Saturday.

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We have worked with Cosla to put in place the best pay deal in the UK for 2018/19.

"This includes the Scottish Government contributing an additional £35 million for teachers' pay.

"This will result in all teachers on the main grade scale receiving at least a five per cent increase, with some teachers receiving up to 11 per cent one year in conjunction with annual progression. 

“We firmly believe that it is generous and fair and would encourage teachers to consider it favourably."