Teachers at a top girls’ school in Wales will strike this week in a row over pensions and an alleged notice to "fire and rehire" non-compliant staff.
On Thursday, February 10, teacher members of the National Education Union working at Howell's School, Llandaff, in Cardiff will form a picket line covering all entrances to the school.
The historic private school, established in 1860, is part of the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST), a national organisation comprising 23 mainly single-sex independent schools in England and Wales.
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The walkout - which has been voted on in all 23 schools - comes after the GDST announced plans to withdraw from the Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS), as it has been "grappling" with the increased cost of the TPS since 2019.
It is instead proposing a "strong alternative pension scheme" - but critics insist the move would leave teachers with a "significant pay cut" and worse off than their counterparts in local state schools.
A formal postal ballot, which ran from January 10 to 26 and covered all schools in the Trust, saw overwhelming opposition to the employer's plans, with 95% of NEU members having voted in favour of strike action, on a turnout of 84%.
Thursday will see the commencement of the first-ever strike in the Trust's entire 149-year history, and future dates for discontinuous strike action are still to be decided.
According to the NEU, under the proposal to leave the TPS, teachers will be at least 20% worse off on average in terms of the annual amount they receive in pension payments.
"Teachers have seen a steady decline in their standard of living over several years with pay increases below inflation, including a pay freeze last academic year. If they were to lose the Teachers’ Pension Scheme as well, their pay and remuneration would be significantly worse than local state schools," the union said in a statement.
It added that the TPS, which they argue is a contractual right of teachers, is "affordable" for the GDST, as the Trust's finances in the public domain are in "good health".
It has accused the Trust of instead wishing to "spend heavily on capital expenditure at the expense to their teachers and leaders".
"Staff are also angry that their employer has threatened them with a policy of 'fire and rehire' to drive these changes through," said the statement.
However, the GDST explained it "reluctantly" decided to initiate a "collective consultation" with teachers on the withdrawal from the TPS from September until January, following the increase in employer contributions.
In a statement to WalesOnline, it said it had been "grappling" with the increase from 16.48% to 23.68% of teachers’ salaries, which it claimed amounts to an extra cost of £6m each year.
While the government had covered this rise in the maintained sector, including the GDST's two academies, the Trust explained that independent schools were left to deal with this "additional burden" on their own.
It added that more than 280 independent schools have already left the TPS, with many more planning to leave or in consultation with their teachers about the changes in order to cut costs.
The Trust also said in a previous statement to WalesOnline that it is "misleading" for the NEU to claim it will "fire and rehire" staff, and insists it is following a "legal process" and is committed to a "transparent consultation".
Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: "We call on the Council of the Girls' Day School Trust to withdraw the proposal to leave the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
"This is an exceptionally strong mandate. The Trust should reflect on just how a large body of committed and hard-working staff have reached this point. Members are resolved and rightly determined to defend their pensions.
"We sincerely hope that strikes can be averted. We call on the GDST to withdraw the proposal to leave the Teachers’ Pension Scheme."
In response to NEU industrial action following proposed changes to pensions, Cheryl Giovannoni, GDST CEO, said: "We are disappointed the NEU has called for strike action while GDST Trustees are still considering all of the feedback gathered during the collective consultation. This will create disruption for teachers, schools, students and their families.
"We understand the strength of feeling amongst our teachers and their concerns, but the NEU calling the proposed changes a disaster for staff and pupils is not right.
"Teachers are central to the success of the GDST and we value their incredible contribution and dedication to the education of girls in our family of schools. We are proposing a strong alternative pension scheme, with a 20% employer contribution into a flexible, defined contribution pension plan alongside other benefits. Teachers will also benefit from the GDST's enhanced ability to develop their total reward, including overall remuneration.
"We would not have put forward these proposals unless we felt they were necessary to support the long-term sustainability of the GDST family of schools, enabling us to continue to provide an excellent and affordable education for girls in our schools, and at the same time ensuring our teachers have a comfortable retirement."
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