Russell urged to scrap teacher pension changes

PRESSURE is growing on the Scottish Government to avoid controversial pension changes likely to cause a national walkout by teachers.

Education secretary Mike Russell will today face the Scottish Parliament’s education committee amid calls for him not to implement Westminster reforms, which will see teachers handing over more of their salaries in pension contributions.

A motion by Labour MSP Neil Findlay, deputy convener, calls for changes to the teacher pension scheme, due to come into force next week, to be annulled.

From 1 April, there will be a 1.2 per cent increase in pension contributions, along with the introduction of tiered contribution rates depending on salary. It means those earning between £32,000 and £39,999 will contribute almost 9 per cent of their pay to their pension.

The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) is currently holding a consultative ballot of its members over the possibility of industrial action. It follows the first national walkout by teachers since the mid-1980s when the issue of pension reform was first raised in 2011.

EIS general secretary Larry Flanagan said: “The additional increase in teachers’ and lecturers’ pension contributions is, in reality, an additional tax on teaching professionals – not one penny of this cash-grab will go into teachers’ or lecturers’ pensions.

“It is shameful that a Scottish Government which claims to oppose the UK government’s austerity drive and continuing attacks on public-sector workers should choose to meekly replicate this coalition-designed teacher tax in Scotland.”

He added: “The 1.2 per cent increase in pension contributions – higher than the capped pay increase of 1 per cent currently on offer to public sector workers – will result in yet another real-terms pay cut for hard-pressed teachers and lecturers this year.”

According to the Scottish Government, failure to pass on the pension reforms would cost £35 million for teachers alone.

Last year, the EIS called off a planned strike after the Scottish Government agreed to formal discussions over the future design of the Scottish Teachers’ Superannuation Scheme (STSS).

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: “Pensions policy is reserved to Westminster. The Scottish Government remains opposed to the UK government’s increases to public-sector employees’ pension contributions.

“We are, however, required by the UK government to implement the increases. Were we not to do so, HM Treasury would reduce the Scottish budget by an estimated £35m every year for teachers’ pensions alone.

“We have been engaged in discussions with teachers’ and employers’ representatives … since April 2012. During the past ten months we have actively sought views on the most appropriate way to implement the contribution increases, but were not able to reach formal agreement on an alternative.

“We have proposed applying increases in a way which is consistent with the way increases were applied in Scotland last year, and in the rest of the UK, specifically seeking to protect lower-paid workers.”