Two increases are proposed: 1.5 per cent back-dated for the 12 months to March 31, 2016, and a further one per cent to March 31, 2017.
The settlement must still be agreed by all three sides of the Scottish Negotiating Committee for Teachers (SNCT).
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS), the country’s largest teachers’ union, will ballot its members on the offer from local authority employers. Its salaries committee has unanimously recommended that members accept the offer.
Larry Flanagan, EIS general secretary, said the pay element of the offer was “disappointing” and fell short of EIS aspirations.
However, the continued austerity measures of the UK government had created a situation where 2.5 per cent over two years was the most that local authorities were prepared to offer.
“The non-pay elements of the offer, including a commitment to address supply teaching issues, an agreed set of principles and action on managing teacher workload and, crucially, a separate commitment from the Scottish government on maintaining teacher numbers in year two of the deal, offer more positive developments which establish the basis for a potentially workable agreement,” Mr Flanagan said.
Should members vote to reject the offer then industrial action would still be considered, he added.
Seamus Searson, general secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers’ Association (SSTA), said it had also “reluctantly agreed” to accept the deal, mainly because the government had expressed a commitment to protecting teacher numbers for the duration of the agreement and the SNCT would publish a commitment on managing workload.
He said: “Teachers have been getting Curriculum for Excellence into classrooms over the last eight years. Throughout this time they have seen the real value of their salaries reduced. For the last three years they have been putting a huge amount of their own time into new S4 to S6 qualifications.
“There is more assessment than ever. Attainment levels are rising. Record numbers of youngsters passed their Higher exams this year. It is disappointing that the value of teachers is not properly recognised.”
Billy Hendry of local authority group Cosla, said: “I am delighted that we have reached an agreement and that the teachers’ unions will make a recommendation to accept the Cosla pay offer.
“We value each and every member of the local government workforce, no less so our teachers who are doing a great job delivering high-quality education to children and young people across the length and breadth of Scotland.”