Transcript NOW IS THE TIME! - National Union of Teachers

Why we are balloting
• The Government has decided you should
pay more, work longer and get less during
your retirement
• Pensions are deferred pay – so this is
another pay cut
• We saw off threats to our pensions in 200506 by being prepared to take action
• Vote YES in the ballot and get other
members to vote YES if you want a decent
pension
Why ballot now?
• To change the Government’s mind before
they impose further changes to our pensions
• They aren’t negotiating in good faith:
• Change from RPI to CPI indexation already made
• They want to finalise the 50 per cent rise in
contributions by June
• They want to break our 2006 agreement on how
our pensions would be reviewed in future
• Delaying now means no action starting until
November when it might be too late!
Why the ballot will have an effect
• The Union has made a reasoned case to the
Government – it’s vital that the Government
now sees our strength of feeling
• ATL has also agreed to ballot members for
strike action and UCU has already held a
successful ballot
• Our action can be joint action involving the
vast majority of teachers - we are not alone!
Pay more
• The Government wants to increase your
contributions by more than half - from 6.4
per cent to as much as 9.8 per cent
• The effect of an increase to 9.8 per cent:
• up to £61 per month for NQ teachers
• up to £102 per month for UPS3 teachers
• Possibility of tiered contributions – higher
paid teachers might have to pay even more
Work longer
• Linking pension age to State pension age:
• The pension you accrue in future would only be
available in full at State pension age
• Under 34? Work till 68 for a full pension
• Aged 34 to 42? Work till 67
• Aged 43 to 57? Work till 66
• Effect of pension age increasing to 66:
• If you’re 50 and on UPS3 and you still retire at
60, you’d lose £1,300 a year from pension and
£4,000 from lump sum
Get less
• Change from RPI to CPI indexation - already
imposed from April 2011:
• Costs a teacher on the average £10,000 pension
more than £35,000 over a 25-year retirement
• Proposed move to “career average” not
“final salary”:
• Pension based on pay across whole career
• Career average has been used to cut pensions in
the private sector
What will I lose?
• Use the NUT pensions calculator at
www.teachers.org.uk/pensions to see:
• How much you’ll lose from your take home pay
• How long you’ll have to work for your full pension
• How much you’ll lose from your pension if you
nevertheless retire at the current pension age
• How much you’ll lose in total, over a 25 year
retirement, due to the cut in your pension and the
switch from RPI to CPI indexation
What we want
• The NUT is calling for the Government to do
the following:
• Withdraw the RPI/CPI switch already imposed
• Withdraw its proposals to increase contributions
and pension ages
• Carry out the valuation of the Teachers’ Pension
Scheme (a year overdue) on the same basis as it
has been carried out previously
• Honour the 2006 agreement and use it to discuss
and decide changes if any are needed
• A successful ballot will strengthen our hand
in our negotiations
What you can do
• Arrange or attend workplace meetings – open to all to discuss the issues
• Promote the NUT pensions calculator at
www.teachers.org.uk/pensions to see the impact of
the changes – can be used in workplace meetings!
• Recruit any non union members to the NUT using
the free membership offer
• Call the NUT ballot hotline if you don’t receive your
ballot paper – tell your colleagues about it too
• Work with ATL reps and members
• Help build Union activity to ensure biggest possible
YES vote in the ballot and successful strike action