Teachers report to Executive; No Deal, Let's Take Action

As well as the ongoing survey of NUT members, reports are coming in from schools and Local Associations where NUT members are meeting to discuss the pensions campaign. Most are showing strong support for further action.

I attended a very well attended meeting of the NUT group (with 39 present) at the City and Islington Sixth Form College this lunchtime. The meeeting unanimously passsed the resolution below. In particular, the reps want to propose to the Executive that, as well as calling further action, we should call a London wide rally to build for that action. It's certainly a suggestion that I will bring to the Executive next week - an idea which could be repeated in every Region.

“This union meeting congratulates the NUT executive for the pensions campaign and the huge success of the strikes on 20th June and 30th November.

We note that the Heads of Agreement “offer” made by the government to teaching unions on December 19th still means that we would have to pay more, work longer and get a smaller pension. We note that the government is still intent on:
· increasing our pension contributions by 50%;
· raising the retirement age for teachers to 68;
· introducing a pension based on a career average rather than final salary;
· using CPI, rather than RPI, as the index for annual increases in our pensions.

These are the measures against which we took strike action on June 30th and November 30th and for these reasons we believe the NUT was right not to sign up to the Heads of Agreement.

We note that the NASUWT and UCU have also refused to sign up to the Heads of Agreement.

We note that whatever concessions the government has made have only come as a result of our campaign and strike action, but go nowhere near enough to meet our concerns.

However the government has now unilaterally announced that it will be increasing contributions which means that members will experience a pay cut in April.

We call upon the NUT National Executive to draw up plans for further strike action and to discuss these with other unions who have also refused to sign the Heads of Agreement. We therefore agree to indicate our support for:

i) the decision of the NUT to reject the Heads of Agreement document;
ii) A campaign of meetings in associations and regions to explain to reps and members the results of the negotiations and the NUT’s plans for further action. 
iii) the NEC on 26th January to name the day for a further strike day this term and draw up plans to escalate action to achieve our pension objectives.