The National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) has voted overwhelmingly for a strike ballot over pensions.
A headteacher strike, which would probably take place in the autumn, would close thousands of primary and secondary schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Headteachers have never before held a nationwide strike.
The NAHT held the vote on May 1st, during its annual conference in Brighton. Out of 386 votes, 99.6 per cent agreed with the motion that:
“Conference calls upon National Executive to take all action necessary to defend pensions up to and including balloting on industrial action, in opposition to the changes proposed by the Hutton enquiry, as they will reduce existing; and worsen future retirement benefits for the teaching profession and the public sector as a whole. NAHT believes that the proposed changes will seriously damage motivation and morale, exacerbating the already serious problems of recruitment and retention of school leaders.”
The government will not announce any changes to headteacher pensions until the autumn but the Hutton enquiry, published in March, called for public sector pensions to be based on career average salaries rather than final salaries. The enquiry also called for higher contributions and higher retirement ages.
Russell Hobby, the general secretary of NAHT, said that the average headteacher would lose around £100,000 from their pension, calling it a “betrayal” of school leaders.
The Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove addressed the conference. “You embody the spirit of public service and yes, collectively the teaching profession and headteachers have ac
“And we shouldn’t abuse that patience, we should thank you for it but recognise also that in due course we need to ensure that we reward teachers and school leaders appropriately.”
Teachers are also displeased with the pension reforms set out by the Hutton enquiry. The National Union of Teachers (NUT) decided in April that it would ballot its members over strike action in the summer term. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is also to hold a strike ballot in May or June.
During the conference, Mr Hobby criticised government targets and tests.
“I do not want my own children to be reduced to statistical fodder in support of a good headline. The unseen damage is too high,” he said.
“Data and coercion will fail our children and our country. The risk is, though, that as a tactic becomes less effective, we simply try harder and harder with it, making it more extreme.”
A headteacher strike, which would probably take place in the autumn, would close thousands of primary and secondary schools in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. Headteachers have never before held a nationwide strike.
The NAHT held the vote on May 1st, during its annual conference in Brighton. Out of 386 votes, 99.6 per cent agreed with the motion that:
“Conference calls upon National Executive to take all action necessary to defend pensions up to and including balloting on industrial action, in opposition to the changes proposed by the Hutton enquiry, as they will reduce existing; and worsen future retirement benefits for the teaching profession and the public sector as a whole. NAHT believes that the proposed changes will seriously damage motivation and morale, exacerbating the already serious problems of recruitment and retention of school leaders.”
The government will not announce any changes to headteacher pensions until the autumn but the Hutton enquiry, published in March, called for public sector pensions to be based on career average salaries rather than final salaries. The enquiry also called for higher contributions and higher retirement ages.
Russell Hobby, the general secretary of NAHT, said that the average headteacher would lose around £100,000 from their pension, calling it a “betrayal” of school leaders.
The Secretary of State for Education Michael Gove addressed the conference. “You embody the spirit of public service and yes, collectively the teaching profession and headteachers have ac
“And we shouldn’t abuse that patience, we should thank you for it but recognise also that in due course we need to ensure that we reward teachers and school leaders appropriately.”
Teachers are also displeased with the pension reforms set out by the Hutton enquiry. The National Union of Teachers (NUT) decided in April that it would ballot its members over strike action in the summer term. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is also to hold a strike ballot in May or June.
During the conference, Mr Hobby criticised government targets and tests.
“I do not want my own children to be reduced to statistical fodder in support of a good headline. The unseen damage is too high,” he said.
“Data and coercion will fail our children and our country. The risk is, though, that as a tactic becomes less effective, we simply try harder and harder with it, making it more extreme.”
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