Teachers reject pensions deal

NUT Press release: http://www.nut.org.uk/node/14699

Following a meeting of a senior committee of the NUT Executive, the Union has agreed to call for further urgent discussions with Government on the future of teachers' pensions.

When the teacher unions met Department for Education ministers before Christmas, the NUT reserved its position on the Government's proposals. The NUT, the largest teachers’ union, has now agreed to continue to pursue further changes to those proposals.

The NUT remains concerned about proposed increases in employee contributions and pension ages. We believe that increasing contributions at a time of real terms pay cuts will lead many teachers to opt out from pension provision and threaten the future of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme. The NUT is also concerned that a large majority of teachers will not be able to work successfully in the classroom to age 68.

The NUT is also committed to appealing against the High Court judgement on the Government’s change in pensions indexation. The High Court agreed with us that the Government’s decision was intended principally to save money, not to find a more appropriate method of indexation. The NUT will continue to press the courts to declare this decision unlawful.

The full NUT Executive will meet next Thursday, 12 January, to take further decisions on how to progress the campaign to save teachers’ pensions.

Christine Blower, General Secretary of the National Union of Teachers, the largest teachers’ union, said:

“We remain committed to a negotiated agreement on pensions but these proposals will not, in our opinion, serve the interests of teachers or the education system. Michael Gove assured us in December that sufficient time and resources would be provided to secure a solution. The Government must face the fact that further discussions and additional funding are needed.