‘Work until you drop’ culture condemned

Teachers at the Annual Conference of the NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union, have condemned the increase in the state and the retirement age for teachers to 68 and the potential for further increases in coming years.

Teachers spoke of the devastating impact which government changes to pensions since 2011 have had on the value of teachers’ pensions and on teachers’ future entitlement to a decent quality of life in retirement.

Chris Keates, General Secretary of the NASUWT, said:

“Only the NASUWT has continued to challenge governments across the UK on the unacceptable changes made to teachers’ pension provision.

“Teaching is now widely regarded as one of the most stressful occupations in the country.

“Teachers are increasingly burned out long before they reach 68.

“The government requires teachers to work until they are 68, but fails to prevent the widespread discrimination practiced in too many schools against older teachers who are disproportionately subject to capability procedures, denied access to CPD and regularly told they are too expensive.

“They are also penalised by the negative culture in too many schools towards requests for flexible working and the punitive financial impact of accessing their pension before 68 mean teachers have little choice but to work until they drop.”

ENDS

NASUWT Press Office contacts:
Ben Padley 07785 463 119
Lena Davies 07867 392 746
Sarah Cull 07920 711 069

Notes to editors
The NASUWT’s Annual Conference is being held at the ICC in Birmingham from 30 March to 2 April.

The full text of the motion is below:

PENSION AGE
Conference recognises that teaching is a demanding and physical profession.
Conference deplores the recent increase in the pension age for teachers to 68.
Conference instructs the National Executive to:
(i) commission research to investigate the link between retirement age and life expectancy;
(ii) lobby governments to restore the teachers’ normal pension age (NPA) to 60;
(iii) work with other public sector unions to campaign against further increases in the state pension age;
(iv) consider action, up to and including strike action, to oppose further increases to the teachers’ normal
pension age and
(v) continue to campaign to break the link between the teachers’ normal pension age and the state pension age.
(Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside)

Lena Davies
Press & Media Officer
NASUWT
0121 457 6250/07867 392746