Teachers hold talks over strike threat

Teaching union members from West Berkshire met this week to discuss Government proposals over pension contributions

TEACHERS and teaching union members from West Berkshire met on Tuesday to discuss concerns over potential strike action against Government proposals for an increase in pension contributions.

Union bosses have warned that if negotiations into pension changes are not fairly discussed, teachers, including those in West Berkshire, will strike.

Concerned member of the National Union of Teachers (NUT) and Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) gathered at Shaw House to hear what the Government proposals for a 3.4 per cent increase in pension contributions by 2014, and its plans to raise the national retirement age by 2020, could mean for them.

If the Government's plans are passed, teacher's pension contributions would rise from 6.4 per cent to 9.8 per cent and the retirement age could rise to aged 68.

The pension contributions increase would see Newly Qualified Teachers pay up to £60 extra per month.

At Shaw House on Tuesday, the general secretary of the teachers' union The Association of Teachers and Lecturers, Dr Mary Bousted, spoke to local teaching staff from a range of schools across the district including Falkland Primary School, Newbury, Brookfields School, Tilehurst, John O' Gaunt in Hungerford and Theale Green, about the Government proposals.

Theale Green School teacher, John Carr, said that one of the concerns that he and his fellow teachers had was that the pensions scheme they had had their entire working lives would now be stopped.

He said: "There has been no fair negotiations.

"Young members at our school are very concerned that if [the pension scheme] changes then [the governernment] will change it again and again.

"It won't be what they expected at the end of their career."

He said of teaching: "When you see the work that people do and the mental and physical exertion of it, you realise that when people get to over 60 it's not really a job they can do.

"Who would want their children being taught by people in their 60s?

"They will be two to three generations removed from the children [they teach], which is a real concern."

President of the Newbury branch of the National Union of Teachers, Tania Armstrong said that they wanted to make it clear that teachers did not want to strike and that this action would be a last resort.

She said: "We are very conscious that we make it clear that we are doing it to save the future profession.

"The main thing is that we don't want to strike.

"We understand that there must be change but the Government have not negotiated fairly."

She added that she was concerned that the move would put people off teaching in the first place and that the best in their jobs would simply leave and said: "It is so easy to end up without the best professionals."

She added that this could have a detrimental impact on school children.

If you are concerned by the Government proposals affecting teachers, contact Tanya Haji on 01635 564541 or email tanya.haji@newburynews.co.uk