YES - we have to take further action

YES - TO STOP THEM CUTTING OUR PAY
The Government hasn’t budged on their plan to make us ‘pay more’ for our pensions. They want to start these cuts to every teacher’s income from this April.
A UPS1 teacher is set to lose £27 a month - rising to £68 a month by 2014, a £820 yearly pay cut. For UPS1 in Inner London, that rises to £1360 a year.

YES - TO STOP AN UNFAIR TAX ON TEACHERS
There’s still no reason for teachers to pay in more - and then get less pension in return. This is still just an unfair extra tax to pay for Government debts.
While we pay in more, employers’ contributions could fall! They can afford to improve their pensions deal - but we’ll need to take further action to make them.
 
YES - BECAUSE WE CAN’T TEACH AT 68 !
Our action forced Ministers to allow teachers over 50 to still retire at 60 with their full pension. But most of us will have to work to 67 or 68 to get a full pension.
Workload is already at intolerable levels. Now they want to increase hours and observe us more often. Who can work under this stress until they’re 68?

YES - TO STOP THEM STEALING EVEN MORE
Most teachers will be forced to retire long before they reach their state pension age. They will have to give up £1,000s in actuarial losses by retiring ‘early’.
As the NUT pensions calculator shows, we’ll all lose thousands more by the unjust change from RPI to CPI. This unjust ‘deal’ means ‘pay more, get a LOT less’.

YES - TO DEFEND YOUNG TEACHERS
Young teachers have got the most to lose. Already struggling with debts, some will just drop-out of the scheme altogether, guaranteeing poverty in old age.
That’s a threat to everyone. If too many stop paying in, the scheme finances really could be in trouble. Then they’ll demand we pay even higher contributions !

YES - TO STOP THEM RUINING EDUCATION
If Gove gets his way, teaching will stop being a career. Instead, young staff, without a proper pension, will be worked into the ground, until they can take no more.
The pension attacks are part of the plans to privatise schools. The profiteers are demanding cheaper pensions so they can cash-in from public services.

YES - ACTION WILL GET PUBLIC SUPPORT
In both June and November, our strikes were well-supported by the public. We can win public support again for our continuing campaign of action.
Unions can explain how we are fighting to defend education. We can link up with private sector workers - like Unilever staff - also striking for their pensions.

YES - WE CAN WIN MORE CONCESSIONS
The threat of action last November forced some concessions out of this Government. With continued action, we can win further gains for teachers.
The changes don’t come fully into effect until 2015. We still have time to keep up the pressure on this unpopular Government until they concede far more.