Teachers at Northampton school set for more strike action this week over 'huge cuts' to pensions

Teachers at a school in Northampton are set to go on strike again this week disputing 'huge cuts' to their pension.

Teachers at Northampton High School in Hardingstone, who are Members of the National Education Union (NEU), are set to strike again on Wednesday and Thursday (February 23 and 24).

The teachers are in dispute with the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) after the organisation threatened to ‘fire and re-hire’ teachers in order to 'force their hand' to accept 'huge cuts' to their pensions.

According to the NEU, the teachers stand to lose around 20 percent of the value of their pensions.

South Northants Labour Party has called on the trustees of the GDST to settle their dispute with teaching staff.

"We believe that this strike is as damaging to staff as it is pupils; the withdrawal of labour is always the final resort, and these dedicated professionals can scarcely afford to lose two days’ pay in this climate, but the actions of the trust have forced their hand," a South Northants Labour Party spokesman said.

"At the heart of the dispute is a proposed withdrawal from the Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS), which will cut pensions to at least 20 percent below the current level, added to an already steady decline in real wages and an accompanying decline in their standards of living.

"The proposed changes would leave teaching staff at the school – which enjoys charitable status and charges fees of up to £15,768 per pupil – worse off than their counterparts teaching in state schools."

South Northants Labour said it recently passed a motion calling on West Northants Council to rule out using fire and rehire as a tactic. The party has now offered support to those in other areas of the county threatened by this 'draconian' measure.

The Labour spokesman said: "Moves to outlaw the process in October last year were blocked in parliament by the Conservative government, and so fire and rehire is not illegal.

"However, it is only supposed to be used as a last resort, an economic necessity, but it is almost exclusively used by employers to change contracts to the detriment of their workers.

"Officials of the NEU claim that financial records available to the public show that the trust is in good financial health and that GDST has not provided any substantive evidence to show the TPS is unaffordable.

"Furthermore, they claim the threat of fire and rehire undermines GDST’s reputation as a good employer.

"South Northants Labour enjoys strong relations with the trade unions representing ordinary working people in our constituency.

"We will always stand with those threatened by cost- cutting measures which benefit only those seeking to make profits from the efforts of others and we wholeheartedly support NEU members at Northampton High and those forced into industrial action elsewhere."