St Benedict’s School teachers strike over pensions – EALING.NEWS – Voice of Ealing 7 cities

Teachers at St Benedict’s School in Ealing who are members of NASUWT, the teachers’ union, have gone on strike today (19 June 2024) over what the union says is plans to make them choose between pension or pay.

The strike, at the independent Catholic school for 3-18s, is the first of eight planned over the issue.

The NASUWT says St Benedict’s is trying to take staff out of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) and onto another scheme that offers less in retirement. If teachers want to stay in the existing TPS, they must take a pay cut to stay in it.

Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT general secretary, said: “These unjustified plans are an attack on the financial security of working teachers. The school is trying to force them to choose between being left worse off in retirement or worse off now.”

Dr Roach added: “The employer has not provided any solid evidence that there is any financial need to undermine teachers’ future financial security in this way. The employer must withdraw these proposals and co-operate with us so that strike action can be avoided.”

Ruth Duncan, NASUWT National Executive Member for North West London, said: “We have made every effort to engage positively in discussions with the employer, however we do not accept that it is beyond their means to keep teachers on TPS or that there is financial justification convincing for these attacks on teachers’ terms and conditions.”

He added: “Our members are not willing to sit back and allow their pensions to erode. A further strike will be inevitable unless the employer recognizes that its actions are intolerable.”

In a statement, Mary Edis, chair of St Benedict’s governing council, said: “We rightly recognize the depth of feeling about the outcome of a sympathetic, very difficult but very essential year-long consultation on the pension scheme of teachers.

“Our consultation followed a mandatory increase in employer contribution costs to 28.68%, a cost which is unfortunately financially unsustainable for the future at St Benedict’s. The latest increase follows increases from 16.48% to 23.68% over the past five years and a further increase to 28.68% in April 2024.

“Unlike maintained schools, where these increases are funded by the Government, independent schools like St Benedict’s have to bear the costs themselves. We have introduced an option for staff to remain in TPS if they wish, with a reduction in pay required, or to choose an enhanced defined contribution scheme, which includes three options within it.

“We believe the options provide a fair and sustainable pension for our highly valued teaching staff, as well as flexibility.”