Teachers at one of the North East’s top private schools are set to go on strike in a row over pensions.
Members of the National Education Union working for the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action after the trust announced plans to withdraw from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.
The trust has 25 schools around the country, including Newcastle High School for Girls, which was formed in 2014 by the merger of Church High and Central High.
Read more: Go here for more education news
It is now facing the first strikes in its near 150-year history after teachers voted 95% in favour of action on a turnout of 84%.
The union says teachers working for the private schools have seen a pay freeze in the last year and any move to cut pension payments would leave them worse off than colleagues at local state schools.
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.”
Cheryl Giovannoni, CEO of the trust, has urged teachers not to take strike action.
She said: “The ballot result shows the strength of feeling we know exists amongst our teachers who are NEU members in respect of the proposed changes to teachers’ pensions. We are of course disappointed with the result, but our priority is to continue working closely with our schools to ensure our students are able to continue learning effectively during this time.
“Our collective consultation period with the NEU ends on Friday 28th January. The GDST Trustees will then consider all the feedback received from teachers before making a final decision in the last week of February. We urge the NEU not to call for strike action before any decisions are made, or any further proposals are put forward.”
Ms Giovannoni added that big increases to employer contributions to the Teachers’ Pension Scheme would cost it an extra £6m a year and many independent schools had left it as a result.
She added: “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 have put forward these proposals in response to the challenges we face to control costs and are committed to providing our teachers with a strong alternative pension scheme, with a 20% employer contribution into a flexible, defined contribution pension plan alongside other benefits.
“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.”
Members of the NASUWT union working at GDST schools are also voting on potential strike action.
