Teachers to ballot over pension plans

HEADTEACHERS and their deputies at primary schools are to be balloted on industrial action over proposed changes to public sector pension contributions.

The Association of Headteachers and Deputes in Scotland (AHDS) said it is to ask its 1,400 members to vote on strike action. Teachers’ pensions in Scotland are a devolved matter, and legally there could be no trade dispute with employers in Scotland until the Scottish Government made its position clear.

But in a statement posted on their website, the union said: “The Scottish Government is now suggesting that its hands are tied – if the 3.2% increase goes ahead in England they will have to follow suit or find a considerable sum of money to plug the gap.

“It is our view that they have now clearly set out their intention to follow the reforms proposed in England and therefore there is now a legitimate trade dispute in Scotland.”

The proposals by the UK Government include increasing the amount public sector workers have to contribute to their pension, raise the age of retirement and introduce career average pension schemes which will mean that those in promoted posts, particularly those who have been promoted later in their careers, could receive a smaller pension.