The Association of Teachers and Lecturers is balloting members for a national strike on June 30. Industrial action would mean 160,000 teachers and lecturers walking out to demonstrate against what they see as a betrayal over pensions. The decision to ballot was made at the ATL’s conference, with the executive voting unanimously to act against the government’s uncompromising cuts.
The Conservative-led Government’s proposals, produced in line with Lord Hutton’s public sector pension report in March, would see teachers’ annual contributions increased by 3.4 per cent, the retirement age raised to 68, and the overall value drop by linking pensions to the Consumer Price Index rather than the Retail Price Index.
Teachers are outraged that having worked for years towards an agreed and stated retirement age and defined pension, they will now simply lose both. For many, the issue is not just one of principle, but of necessity.
If the hike in pension contributions is implemented, the average teacher would pay £1,000 a year more. With these harsh figures, the ATL estimates that around 50,000 teachers could take early retirement rather than face such a drastic cut to their final pension.
