30PensionsPOSTER inside

NOVEMBER

STRIKE FOR YOUR PENSION

The Teachers’ Pension Scheme was set up in 1923and since then much more has been paid incontributions than has been paid out in pensions. see p3

£46.4 billion more paid in to Teachers’Pension Scheme than paid out

TEACHERS – ACTING TOGETHER

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NEWS IN BRIEF

CRISIS – WHAT CRISIS?

To hear Government ministers talk, youwould think that public sector pensionpayments are out of control. But their spinwas upset on June 30 when they had toadmit that nowhere in the Hutton reportdoes it say that our scheme is unaffordable.

The chart opposite is based on one in theHutton report and shows that public sectorpension payments peak this year and thendecline. This decline happens in the mainbecause of the reforms to the pensionscheme agreed in 2007. The Hutton chart

also assumes the change to CPI is in place– but even without that projections showlong-term declines in the proportion of GDPspent on public sector pensions. There isno crisis – our pensions are not “out ofcontrol”.

Is the Teachers’ Pension Scheme in crisis?

Still no valuationThe Government continues to refuse tocarry out the quadrennial valuation of theTeachers’ Pension Scheme. We believe thevaluation wouldn’t justify the attacks on ourpension and would confirm savings agreedin 2007 are on track.

Joint teacher lobby of ParliamentMore than 2000 teachers lobbiedParliament during half term. Over twothirds of MPs were seen and a petitionwith more than 150,000 signatures washanded in.

Judicial review over CPITogether with other unions, the NUTchallenged the Government in court, alsoduring half term - in particular over theirfailure to consult on the change ofindexation to CPI. Judgement has beenreserved - so we await news from thecourt.

Pensions petitioning Saturday 19 NovemberMany NUT divisions will be organisingpetitioning and leafleting in the run upto the next strike - using our FairPensions for All petition. Get in touchand offer to help.

Teachers will strike on 30 NovemberThe teaching profession is coming together.NUT members have already voted tosupport discontinuous strike action in ourballot in June. Now teacher unions acrossthe United Kingdom are balloting to join uson 30 November in the biggest teachers’strike the country has ever seen – unless theGovernment sees sense.

30 June – Standing firm on pensions

26 October – Lobbying for pensions

Teachers and other public sector workers are saving for theirretirement through their contributory pension schemes. That’snot a problem. It’s what society needs.The real pensions scandal is in the private sector. Two-thirds of

workers don’t now have access to any employer-backed pensionscheme. Nine-tenths of final salary pension schemes - once the mostpopular arrangement by far - are closed.The reason isn’t cost or the recession. It’s the fact that employers

have realised they can get out of their obligations to society and theiremployees, and leave the taxpayer to pick up the costs of supportingthem in retirement.Cutting public sector workers’ pensions won’t make private sector

workers better off. It will just make everyone poorer in retirement. It will increase the burden on the taxpayer that was once shoulderedby employers.That’s why the NUT and other unions are campaigning for Fair

Pensions for All. Not just for teachers. Not just for public sectorworkers. For everyone, whether working in the public sector, theprivate sector or those already retired. Saving our pensions will bethe first stage in winning back the right to a decent income in retirement for everybody. Sign the Fair Pensions for All petition at www.teachers.org.uk/pensions.

WHAT ABOUT THE PRIVATE SECTOR?The real pensions scandal

1999/2000 2009/10 2019/20 2029/30 2039/40 2049/500.0%

0.2%

0.4%

0.6%

0.8%

1.0%

1.2%

1.4%

1.6%

1.8%

2.0%

The NUT pensions calculator has helped teachers understand themassive losses facing them if the Government wins.During our negotiations, further details have emerged. Some of you

may have to pay even more than your colleagues. The impact of “careeraverage” pensions is clearer. And we now know that, in every singleimportant respect, the Government’s proposals will worsen theTeachers’ Pension Scheme.For that reason, we have revised the NUT pensions calculator. Use it

again at www.teachers.org.uk/pensionscalc Some of you will find that youwill be even worse off than we originally feared. If you needed a reason tocontinue to support the NUT campaign, this would be it.

l NUT: The largest teachers’ unionl The only union that recruits only qualifiedteachers, or those who are on courses or inposts that will lead to teacher qualification

l Our aim: one union for all teachersl To join phone the joining hotlines:

0845 300 1669/020 7380 6369or join online at:www.teachers.org.uk

l Ask your NUT rep to hold a meeting on pensions – jointly withother unions if possible.

l Ask any teachers not in a union to join the NUT.

l View the PowerPoint and video at www.teachers.org.uk/pensions

l Use the pensions loss calculator atwww.teachers.org.uk/pensionscalc

l Ask all your colleagues to strike on 30 November.

l Find out where your local demonstration will be on 30 November.

ENCOURAGE COLLEAGUES TO JOIN US

WHAT YOU CAN DO IN YOUR SCHOOL

If there is currently no rep in your workplace, please gettogether with your colleagues to elect one. Once a rep hasbeen elected please notify your division/association secretary,whose details can be found on your membership credential orat www.teachers.org.uk/contactus

NO REP IN YOUR WORKPLACE? PLEASE ELECT ONE

This figure is simply staggering: pension contributions exceed totalpayments on teachers’ pensions by £46.4 billion. NUT researchershave calculated this figure by obtaining the Government’s own statisticsand adjusting them to reflect increases in GDP – this is the usualapproach to revaluing financial data (if you want to see our technicalnote on this go to www.teachers.org.uk/pensions). This huge figureshould make every teacher all the more determined to defend ourpensions.In practice, teachers’ pension contributions have been a source of

very cheap loans to the Government for seventy years. Then, just whenit had to meet its promise to fund our pensions as the scheme matured,we began hearing that our pensions were too expensive. That we mustpay more, work longer, and get less in our retirement.On the basis of pensions paid out from 2009 to 2011, the £46.4

billion would keep our scheme going for at least another 35 years. By then, we know that the 2007 changes will reduce costs backtowards the level of contributions once more.The deal was clear. We would pay for our pensions and, when we

retired, the Government would honour its end of the bargain. Let’s makesure that happens.

£46.4 BILLION MORE PAID IN TO TEACHERS’PENSION SCHEME THAN PAID OUT. continued from front cover

PENSIONS CALCULATOR

Pension costs are set to fall

STRIKE ON 30 NOVEMBERDesigned and published by The Strategy and Communications Department of The National Union of Teachers – www.teachers.org.uk

Origination by Paragraphics – www.paragraphics.co.uk Printed by Ruskin Press – www.ruskinpress.co.uk – 7822/11/11

Government proposalswould see teachers workuntil they are sixty eight.

Don’t worklonger and paymore, to get less