The National Union of Teachers is to ballot its members on a one-day strike over pension reforms, it announced today.
Members of Britain's largest teaching union will be asked to give their backing to a strike in April over what it claims to be a government move to "worsen public sector pension entitlements" by raising the retirement age from 60 to 65.
The change will affect all new teachers from 2006 and existing teachers from September 2013. After these dates, those choosing to retire before they reach 65 will have their pensions reduced accordingly.
The NUT calculates that teachers just beginning their careers will lose out on tens of thousands of pounds in pensions unless their work until they are 65.
Pensions have traditionally been seen as a kind of compensation for teachers after receiving lower pay than their private sector counterparts. It is believed to have helped attract and retain public sector employees.
The general secretary of the NUT, Steve Sinnott, today called on members to support the strike. "The government is not listening to teachers and other public service workers about the injustice of its proposals.
"The NUT, the other teachers'organisations and the public service unions have worked hard to persuade the government to withdraw its proposals. But, so far, it has refused to budge."
Last month, an online poll of 7,500 teachers conducted by the National Association of Schoolmasters Union of Women Teachers showed that 58% would back strike action over the pension plans. The union will decide whether to take further action at its conference at the end of the month.
The lecturers' union Natfhe is planning to ballot its members for industrial action over the proposals.
Earlier today members of Unison, the Transport and General Workers Union, Amicus and Ucatt, which represent 1.4 million local authority employees, voted to strike over pensions on March 23.
