Portsmouth High School teachers say ‘hands off our pensions’ as they walk out for second day of strike action

Today saw the second day of nationally co-ordinated strike action after the first walk out on February 10, and the staff members plan to walk out again on February 24.

This morning, parents and senior students took leaflets, and some wore stickers expressing support for their teachers.

Parents at the junior school also signed a petition supporting teachers striking to save their pensions.

Union members say the strike is in response to the trust’s proposal to remove its teaching staff from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said: ‘It is very disappointing that the Girls’ Day School Trust has not reversed their decision to withdraw from the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS).

‘If they were really listening to the strength of feeling from their staff, they would realise that short term financial sweeteners offer no compensation for the long-term security of the TPS.’

After demonstrating outside the high school, Portsmouth teachers from the NEU travelled to London to join a protest with striking teachers from the 22 other schools making up the GDST.

The NEU says that the GDST’s proposal would leave teachers on significantly worse terms and conditions than colleagues teaching at local state schools.

It also says that the trust has threatened to issue legal notice to ‘fire and rehire’ staff in order to enforce the contractual change.

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However, GDST trustees say that they have carefully considered all the feedback gathered from teachers during the 18-week collective consultation around pensions changes and have now amended their original proposal.

On February 22, the trustees announced a new proposal which would see teaching staff staying with the TPS for a longer period, and would award a pay rise to all GDST staff in independent schools.

The trust argues that this pay rise and commitment to pay progression for our teachers is for the long-term, and not a ‘short term financial sweetener’ as the NEU has suggested.

It also says that increased TPS costs would be unsustainable, and it is proposing a ‘strong alternative scheme’.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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