The Next Generation
So we have won protection for current teachers. General Secretary Steve Sinnott stated in October's NUT News, "This agreement is a significant achievement and has been reached as a result of the sustained campaign by the NUT and other teacher and public service unions, together with central co-ordination and assistance provided by the TUC. Earlier in the year, NUT members showed their preparedness for action in support of the campaign to protect teachers' pensions. Your determination has brought this success."
However, it does not protect the next generation of teachers, who are faced with either working until 65 to get their full pension, or retiring on 75% of what their predecessors will have received. This includes more mature people joining the teaching profession, which will lead to the situation of some teachers in a staff room being able to retire at 60 while others have to continue for another five years. As executive member, Ian Murch, states, "Teachers, nurses and other public service workers may be forecast to live longer in the future, but we all still age at the same rate. Many of us will approach 60 knowing that the stresses and strains of a challenging job have become too much for us, and will rightly believe that we have earned our retirement."
Non-teaching staff in schools are still threatened with reduced benefits and higher contributions. It was a united campaign that produced a victory for millions of public sector workers. We owe it to our colleagues to continue to campaign until they are protected too.