A LETTER sent to teachers outlining details of a new pay offer has been described as “profoundly misleading”.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) also branded the communication “duplicitous and outrageous”.

The attack comes after the Scottish Government and local authority umbrella body penned the joint letter to Scotland’s teachers.

Teaching unions are currently fighting for a ten per cent increase in pay to rectify the impact of a decade of austerity.

However, the councils and ministers argue the offer is the best and most affordable in the current economic climate.

The letter states: “We firmly believe this is a fair offer which demonstrates that both local government and the Scottish Government value the teaching profession.

“We are disappointed that it has been rejected by the teacher unions. The teacher unions’ claim for 10 per cent in a single year cannot be achieved.

“It is simply unaffordable, and the unions have been told this since their claim was submitted at the start of the year.”

The letter goes on to highlight additional investment to fund a restructuring of pay grades which would mean most teachers would see their pay increase by between five per cent and 11 per cent.

However, Larry Flanagan, general secretary of the EIS, said the letter was an attempt to bypass unions, who are currently balloting members with a recommendation to reject the offer.

He said: “The letter is even worse than anticipated. While the basic figures are accurate, they have been laid out in a way that is profoundly misleading.

“The table indicating salary rises for teachers on the main grade scale creates a false impression of the proposed new salaries.

“The letter also cites incremental progression as part of the pay uplift. It is completely mendacious to imply wages you are already earning should be included as part of a new pay offer.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “We have worked with Cosla to put in place the best pay deal in the UK for 2018/19 and our joint letter accurately explains the component parts so teachers have a full understanding of the proposals.

“The letter in no way undermines the democratic role of the unions in this process nor changes our joint commitment to discussions.”