Teachers to Strike over Pensions?????

[lefol]

Just heard that private and state school teachers are due to strike over pensions. I can barely understand state school teachers going on strike, but surely private school teachers cannot go on strike? The parents are paying fees for them to teach kids not to go on strike ? Will schools offer refunds for the period the school is closed?

[moved]

My union are not striking but I can let you know one major reason why private school teachers are striking.

The government is proposing to eject teachers in private schools from the teachers' pension scheme. The pension contributions are non-transferrable and will have to stay put incurring administration fees. Many teachers currently swap between both the private and public sectors so this move will remove that opportunity. The average female teacher retires on £10000 due to lack of contributions during child raising years and this will further reduce pension expectations.

The other reasons are that with the rise in the level of contribution to the pension scheme to nearly 10% and the already introduced transfer from RPI to CPI many will be able to ill afford retirement. RPI to CPI has reduced projected pension pots by an average of £65000. Retirement is being raised to 68 for teachers who joined within the last 4 years.

Need I continue?

[Waiting_For_Godot]

I don't think the government should contribute to private school teachers pensions. They have a far easier job than state school teachers and to switch back and forth is for the individuals development not the children in their care.

However, only 37% of this union voted and not everyone voted yes so I doubt many will strike, especially in the independent sector.

[hermanmunster]

trouble with democracy is that you can't say that as only 35% bothered to vote that the result was not valid.

MPs are elected on turnouts of less than 50% in many places and usually get less than 50% of the popular vote .. yet we accept their election.

in this case I understand that the ALT vote was 85% in favour of strike action.

My pension is under attack too - can't imagine working to 65 (latest suggestion ) - so bale out date is being brought forward to an age I always assumed I would still be working at.

[Waiting_For_Godot]

I didn't say the vote was not valid, just that there may only be 85% of 37% of teachers striking and I suspect very few will be in the independent sector.

Unfortunately, most people have to work until 65 nowadays so I do not have sympathy in that area.

[Moonlight]

My DD is at a private school and I really hope that the teachers don't go on strike. We pay enough fees now and I very much doubt that the school will re-imburse parents for strike days.

Although there are longer school holidays, the teachers seem to work very hard at my daughter's school and I don't think that they have an easier job than state school teachers. This is just my personal opinion.

I don't relish the prospect of not being able to retire until I'm 65 but, unfortunately, that's the way it is and it will remain to be seen if striking is the answer.

[mike1880]

Anyone who thinks they'll be retiring at 65 is living in a fools' paradise imho unless they've already done the sums and know what pension they can expect. State pension age is already higher than that for me (and it certainly won't be coming down!).

Mike

[moved]

I don't think the government should contribute to private school teachers pensions. They have a far easier job than state school teachers and to switch back and forth is for the individuals development not the children in their care.

However, only 37% of this union voted and not everyone voted yes so I doubt many will strike, especially in the independent sector.

I am not sure how this is relevant. The contribution that would have been paid by the state is paid by the private school and therefore is not costly to the tax payer.

Are you suggesting that a teacher is only entitled to a pension if they have a dreadful job? What about those fortunate enough to work in lovely state schools? Or is it just private school teachers who should have no entitlement?

I wasn't aware that the children in the care of the teachers were relevant to the teacher's right to retire on more than nothing.

[Fran17]

Maybe not a popular view, but I support the teachers' strike. Teachers are highly qualified and do an extremely important job. We go to all sorts of lengths to give our children the best possible chance of getting into good schools and then accept the fact that the people who provide them with their education are, in my opinion, often undervalued and certainly underpaid. Good for them, if my pension was 'under attack' I would be doing the same thing.

[Waiting_For_Godot]

The average teachers salary is higher than the national average wage so I'm not sure they are underpaid.

I think independent schools should provide pensions for their teachers not the government.

As for the comment about pensions being affected, well everyones pensions are being affected and we have to put up with it!