A SECOND Scottish teaching union is to hold a strike ballot over pay.

The NASUWT, which has 7,500 members, is to issue a formal trade dispute with the Scottish Government over the latest offer.

The ballot will also cover concerns over workload, pupil indiscipline and bullying of staff.

The move comes as the Educational Institute of Scotland, the country's largest teaching union, presses ahead with its strike ballot.

The NASUWT, which said its ballot would open on 18th March, has also written to the John Swinney, the Education Secretary, lodging the formal trade dispute with the Government.

Read more: EIS presses ahead with strike ballot

Chris Keates, NASUWT general secretary, said: "Feedback from our members has demonstrated that they are angry about the year-on-year cuts they have suffered to their pay.

"They have also said they are equally and, in some cases, even more angry about the failure of Government and employers to tackle excessive workload, growing pupil indiscipline and other adverse practices, including the culture developing in too many workplaces of bullying of staff.

“In the light of this and having failed to reach agreement in the current pay talks, we have decided that simply to have a trade dispute and ballot over pay would mean that other issues of deep concern were not being addressed.

"Our trade dispute with Government and employers will now, therefore, cover all of these issues of concern."

Read more: Scottish secondary teachers back pay deal

Earlier this week, the EIS formally rejected an offer of a series of rises worth 9 per cent April plus another 3 per cent year.

In recognition of concern over problems in the recruitment and retention of teachers, councils had also agreed to back a restructuring of wider pay scales and look at pay for promoted teachers.

However, teaching unions have been campaigning for an immediate 10 per cent rise for all staff arguing salaries have fallen behind over the past decade.

More than 40 per cent of EIS members voted to back the deal, but 57 per cent rejected it.