Heads take comfort from Gove stance on pensions

Three unions have voted to ballot their members over industrial action in a battle to stop the Government changing their pension schemes amid fears that teachers will be left working longer and receiving less at the end of it.

The Association of Teachers and Lecturers, the National Union of Teachers and the National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) have all agreed to hold ballots in votes at their annual conferences.

However the head of the NAHT has also welcomed comments made by Mr Gove during his speech to its annual conference in Brighton.

The Education Secretary said teachers had an “unspoken contract” with the Government on pensions. He added that “one size did not fit all” when it came to public sector pensions and told his audience he would champion the case of the profession to those holding the Government’s purse strings.

Mr Gove said: “We need to make sure that the unique circumstances and the unique commitment that teachers and head teachers give is recognised in whatever reformed system we arrive at.”

Russell Hobby, general secretary of the NAHT said: “We were pleased by Mr Gove’s positive address to conference.

“Such support from the Education Secretary can only make our dealings with the Government run more smoothly – which is what our members need to ensure that we support the interests of the nation’s children at the highest level.

“Mr Gove clearly grasps that school leaders are passionately vocational and that pupils are at the heart of everything they do. Our conference voted overwhelmingly to ballot our members on taking all action necessary to protect pensions.

“This is as much about protecting the future of teaching excellence as it is about protecting individual terms and conditions.

“Our members did not enter the profession to get rich but they did believe that at the end of a long and challenging career, a secure retirement would await them as compensation for financial sacrifices made when they chose school leadership instead of pursuing a senior management position in the private sector.

“I suspect that most parents want to put their children’s futures in the hands of the best educators that money can buy and one of the clearest ways to attract and keep the best people in the profession is to look after their terms and conditions. ”

Teaching unions have criticised proposed public sector pension reforms which they fear will see staff working until the age of 68 and losing their final salary scheme.

The Government’s decision to switch the way teachers’ pensions are up rated from Retail Price Index to Consumer Price Index has also been criticised.