Teachers at Northampton school set to strike over 'huge cuts' to pensions

Staff at a school in Northampton are set to strike today (Thursday, February 10) to 'cease attacks' on potential 'huge cuts' to their pensions.

Teachers at Northampton High School (NHS), in Hardingstone, are in dispute with the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) after it threatened to ‘fire and re-hire’ teachers in order to force them to accept 'huge cuts' to their pensions.

The striking teachers are members of the National Education Union (NEU), which represents the vast majority of teachers at the school.

Teachers at NHS stand to lose around 20 percent of the value of their pensions despite GDST being in a healthy financial situation, NEU said.

Ian Marrey senior regional officer at NEU, said: “This is an unprecedented day in the history of NHS and the GDST when NEU members take industrial action for the first time ever in the face of threats to ‘fire and rehire’ in order to take dedicated teachers out of the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS).

"NEU members are committed to consultation and hope they can persuade the GDST that withdrawing from the TPS is a strategic mistake. Not only is it a significant pay cut for teachers but would also damage the ability of the schools to recruit and retain quality teachers in future.”

The NEU has also notified the school that there will be further strikes on February 23 and 24 as well as March 1, 2 and 3 should GDST continue to 'refuse to negotiate and cease its attacks on its teachers’ pensions'.

According to the NEU, the 23 schools under the GDST are set to strike today. This will be the first strike in the trust in its 149-year history.