The news of the mass occupations in Athens, Thessaloniki, and in the main squares of other Greek cities, is another inspiration for workers and youth across Europe.
Here in Britain, the Government wants to increase pension age from 60 to 68 - while youth cannot find jobs. It is just as the Spanish youth in Madrid and Barcelona exclaimed - "Grandchildren on the dole, grandparents in work".
That's why teachers and civil servants will be on strike in Britain on June 30. That's why we must unite the struggles of workers and youth across Europe.
http://www.socialistworld.net/doc/5095
Tuesday, 31 May 2011
Thursday, 26 May 2011
Two more reasons to VOTE YES to defend your pension
1) MPs agree - they CAN afford to pay our pensions - VOTE YES
A House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts report "The impact of the 2007 -2008 changes to public service pensions" confirms what unions have been saying - that there is no need for teachers to be paying in more for their pensions.
The Report says that: "Government projections suggest that the 2007-08 changes are likely to reduce costs to taxpayers of the pension schemes by £67 billion over 50 years".
In an NUT press release, Christine Blower, NUT General Secretary, said; “This report shatters the Government's case for further cuts in public sector pensions. The Select Committee has confirmed the National Audit Office's verdict that costs are falling and pensions are affordable".
“The Committee is right to criticise the Government for proposing further changes without even having considered what is affordable. This is a policy based on nothing short of false assumption and spin”.
2) They want to destroy our pensions scheme - VOTE YES
The latest leaks about the Government’s plans for career-averages confirm that the NUT website’s pensions loss calculator figures - shocking as they are - are actually an UNDERESTIMATE of how badly we could all be hit:
This is what the government is now offering (thanks to Andrew Baisley in Camden NUT for the figures):
For a newly-qualified teacher who goes into the profession at 23, doesn't take any promotions and retires at 65 on UPS3, the government say the average pay of a retiring teacher is £37,795 but their career average salary is £36,031. (Teachers who are promoted will lose even more.)
Current pension scheme for new entrants (1/60ths + normal retirement at 65)
Annual pension = £37,795 x 42 / 60 = £26,456
Government's best offer (Proposed worsening to 1/80ths + normal pension at 68)
Annual pension = £36,031 x 42 / 80 ‐ 16% (for retiring “ early” at 65) = £15,909
Government's worst offer (Worsened even more to 1/100ths + normal pension age at 68)
Annual pension = £36,031 x 42 / 100 ‐ 16% (for retiring “ early” at 65) = £12,727
In short: The government's best offer cuts our pension by 40%. Their worst offer cuts our pension by 52%.
VOTE YES!
A House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts report "The impact of the 2007 -2008 changes to public service pensions" confirms what unions have been saying - that there is no need for teachers to be paying in more for their pensions.
The Report says that: "Government projections suggest that the 2007-08 changes are likely to reduce costs to taxpayers of the pension schemes by £67 billion over 50 years".
In an NUT press release, Christine Blower, NUT General Secretary, said; “This report shatters the Government's case for further cuts in public sector pensions. The Select Committee has confirmed the National Audit Office's verdict that costs are falling and pensions are affordable".
“The Committee is right to criticise the Government for proposing further changes without even having considered what is affordable. This is a policy based on nothing short of false assumption and spin”.
2) They want to destroy our pensions scheme - VOTE YES
The latest leaks about the Government’s plans for career-averages confirm that the NUT website’s pensions loss calculator figures - shocking as they are - are actually an UNDERESTIMATE of how badly we could all be hit:
This is what the government is now offering (thanks to Andrew Baisley in Camden NUT for the figures):
For a newly-qualified teacher who goes into the profession at 23, doesn't take any promotions and retires at 65 on UPS3, the government say the average pay of a retiring teacher is £37,795 but their career average salary is £36,031. (Teachers who are promoted will lose even more.)
Current pension scheme for new entrants (1/60ths + normal retirement at 65)
Annual pension = £37,795 x 42 / 60 = £26,456
Government's best offer (Proposed worsening to 1/80ths + normal pension at 68)
Annual pension = £36,031 x 42 / 80 ‐ 16% (for retiring “ early” at 65) = £15,909
Government's worst offer (Worsened even more to 1/100ths + normal pension age at 68)
Annual pension = £36,031 x 42 / 100 ‐ 16% (for retiring “ early” at 65) = £12,727
In short: The government's best offer cuts our pension by 40%. Their worst offer cuts our pension by 52%.
VOTE YES!
Tuesday, 24 May 2011
Work until you drop? - and no jobs for youth
While public sector unions prepare for battle on pensions, youth and school-leavers struggle to find jobs.
But the two struggles are linked. If older workers have to work on in their jobs until they are 68 to get their pension, how will young workers find employment?
It's not just a British issue. The youth of Spain, let down by the political establishment and the trade union leaders, have taken to the streets to protest about mass unemployment. One of their slogans is
But the two struggles are linked. If older workers have to work on in their jobs until they are 68 to get their pension, how will young workers find employment?
It's not just a British issue. The youth of Spain, let down by the political establishment and the trade union leaders, have taken to the streets to protest about mass unemployment. One of their slogans is
Two victories against redundancies in Lewisham
Two small but significant victories for Lewisham NUT have shown how an organised response - and the threat of union action - can achieve success in fighting the threat of cuts and redundancies.
Today, just as a ballot for strike action was about to be issued to NUT members at Deptford Green School over the threat to issue a redundancy notice to a member in the Art Department, the school agreed that it would, after all, be able to redeploy the teacher internally. Previously, our demands to find continuing work within the school had been rejected.
This victory undoubtedly owed much to the impending strike ballot and the clear determination shown by members at last night's NUT school meeting to organise for an overwhelming majority for action.
This follows last week's news that the Council would be saving the posts threatened to be cut from the nationally-renowned Lewisham Early Years Advice and Resource Network. This follows a public campaign to safeguard this vital resource coupled with an indicative ballot of NUT members across Local Authority schools and workplaces which produced an 86% Yes vote in support of Authority-wide strike action.
There are more battles to come - including continuing threats to Children's Centres and to oppose the redundancy of an NUT member at another secondary school. Ballot papers are going out to NUT members at Forest Hill School this week but staff have already shown their support in a 60-strong rally held on Friday lunchtime which was well-publicised in the local press.
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/9040414.Staff_at_Forest_Hill_School_hold_rally_in_protest_against_proposed_redundancy/
We hope these victories can give confidence to Forest Hill staff - and others - to stand firm to oppose cuts and redundancies.
Today, just as a ballot for strike action was about to be issued to NUT members at Deptford Green School over the threat to issue a redundancy notice to a member in the Art Department, the school agreed that it would, after all, be able to redeploy the teacher internally. Previously, our demands to find continuing work within the school had been rejected.
This victory undoubtedly owed much to the impending strike ballot and the clear determination shown by members at last night's NUT school meeting to organise for an overwhelming majority for action.
This follows last week's news that the Council would be saving the posts threatened to be cut from the nationally-renowned Lewisham Early Years Advice and Resource Network. This follows a public campaign to safeguard this vital resource coupled with an indicative ballot of NUT members across Local Authority schools and workplaces which produced an 86% Yes vote in support of Authority-wide strike action.
There are more battles to come - including continuing threats to Children's Centres and to oppose the redundancy of an NUT member at another secondary school. Ballot papers are going out to NUT members at Forest Hill School this week but staff have already shown their support in a 60-strong rally held on Friday lunchtime which was well-publicised in the local press.
http://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/9040414.Staff_at_Forest_Hill_School_hold_rally_in_protest_against_proposed_redundancy/
We hope these victories can give confidence to Forest Hill staff - and others - to stand firm to oppose cuts and redundancies.
Friday, 20 May 2011
Staff Rally Against Redundancy
STAFF JOIN LUNCHTIME RALLY TO PROTEST AGAINST TEACHER REDUNDANCY AND THREAT TO BUDGETS
At 1.15 today, Friday May 20 2011, staff at Forest Hill School, Dacres Road, SE23 will be walking out of their school gates to hold a lunchtime rally in nearby Mayow Park to protest at the threatened redundancy of a teacher in the English department – who is due to lose his job at the end of the school year.
Staff are taking action to:
• Stand by their colleague who is faced with losing his livelihood
• Stand up for children and families who will see support cut by the loss of a member of staff
• Oppose cuts being made while the PFI contract continues to burn a hole in the school budget
Martin Powell-Davies, Secretary of Lewisham NUT, said:
“Today staff are demonstrating their anger at a job cut that will damage education. Our students need more support, not less.
Jobs at Forest Hill have now been threatened for two years in a row. Staff want to know how many more job cuts are to come as Lewisham Council demands that the school cuts its deficit.
Pupils should not be losing support, nor teachers be losing their jobs, to pay for the costs of PFI”
SUPPORT FOR PUPILS SHOULD NOT BE CUT
Forest Hill Governors will say that the job loss is unavoidable because the English teacher is “surplus to requirements”. But, this year, those ‘surplus’ hours of teaching time have been used to provide additional literacy support by withdrawing groups of Year 7 pupils from lessons. That hasn’t only helped those boys, it has also been a benefit to the whole year group by reducing class sizes.
The Council will be demanding much greater cuts in future so that the school can pay off its deficit. But Forest Hill is a successful school – its pupil numbers aren’t falling. Cuts can only mean greater class sizes, more job losses and less support for students.
LEWISHAM MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
It was Lewisham Council that encouraged schools to sign-up to a PFI contract and assured governors that the costs would be manageable. Now Forest Hill faces rocketing facilities costs that it cannot afford to pay. It is tied in to an expensive long-term PFI contract offering a guaranteed return to the private contractors - while school budgets face cuts.
While teachers’ pensions are being cut by linking them to the lowest CPI inflation index, the PFI contractors are guaranteed annual charge increases based on the highest RPIX index – charges which the school has to pay. It was the Council’s officers that were largely responsible for negotiating this contract – and it is the Council that must now also take responsibility for sorting out the financial mess that they have created. It certainly should not be students and staff who have to to pay for their mistakes.
STRIKE ACTION COULD FOLLOW NEXT MONTH
Today’s action could well be followed by strike action by members of the NUT next month.
56 members of the NUT at Forest Hill will be sent a ballot paper from the National Union on Wednesday May 25th to ascertain their support for sustained strike action to oppose compulsory redundancies.
They could be joined in co-ordinated action by NUT members at Deptford Green School who are also being balloted on the same timescale over the same threat of a teacher redundancy at their school.
At 1.15 today, Friday May 20 2011, staff at Forest Hill School, Dacres Road, SE23 will be walking out of their school gates to hold a lunchtime rally in nearby Mayow Park to protest at the threatened redundancy of a teacher in the English department – who is due to lose his job at the end of the school year.
Staff are taking action to:
• Stand by their colleague who is faced with losing his livelihood
• Stand up for children and families who will see support cut by the loss of a member of staff
• Oppose cuts being made while the PFI contract continues to burn a hole in the school budget
Martin Powell-Davies, Secretary of Lewisham NUT, said:
“Today staff are demonstrating their anger at a job cut that will damage education. Our students need more support, not less.
Jobs at Forest Hill have now been threatened for two years in a row. Staff want to know how many more job cuts are to come as Lewisham Council demands that the school cuts its deficit.
Pupils should not be losing support, nor teachers be losing their jobs, to pay for the costs of PFI”
SUPPORT FOR PUPILS SHOULD NOT BE CUT
Forest Hill Governors will say that the job loss is unavoidable because the English teacher is “surplus to requirements”. But, this year, those ‘surplus’ hours of teaching time have been used to provide additional literacy support by withdrawing groups of Year 7 pupils from lessons. That hasn’t only helped those boys, it has also been a benefit to the whole year group by reducing class sizes.
The Council will be demanding much greater cuts in future so that the school can pay off its deficit. But Forest Hill is a successful school – its pupil numbers aren’t falling. Cuts can only mean greater class sizes, more job losses and less support for students.
LEWISHAM MUST TAKE RESPONSIBILITY
It was Lewisham Council that encouraged schools to sign-up to a PFI contract and assured governors that the costs would be manageable. Now Forest Hill faces rocketing facilities costs that it cannot afford to pay. It is tied in to an expensive long-term PFI contract offering a guaranteed return to the private contractors - while school budgets face cuts.
While teachers’ pensions are being cut by linking them to the lowest CPI inflation index, the PFI contractors are guaranteed annual charge increases based on the highest RPIX index – charges which the school has to pay. It was the Council’s officers that were largely responsible for negotiating this contract – and it is the Council that must now also take responsibility for sorting out the financial mess that they have created. It certainly should not be students and staff who have to to pay for their mistakes.
STRIKE ACTION COULD FOLLOW NEXT MONTH
Today’s action could well be followed by strike action by members of the NUT next month.
56 members of the NUT at Forest Hill will be sent a ballot paper from the National Union on Wednesday May 25th to ascertain their support for sustained strike action to oppose compulsory redundancies.
They could be joined in co-ordinated action by NUT members at Deptford Green School who are also being balloted on the same timescale over the same threat of a teacher redundancy at their school.
Thursday, 19 May 2011
Career Average Catastrophe - VOTE YES!
The Guardian has printed shocking details of a leaked document revealing the truth about the 'negotiations' that the Government is offering public sector unions over the future of our pensions.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/may/19/public-sector-pension-cuts-retirement
The key phrase in this leak is as follows:
"The models in the paper suggest that the [accrual rate] should rise to either one 80th, 90th or 100th, of the salary accrued for each year worked. It means some public sector workers would have to work ten years longer to get half of their average salary".
Hidden by technicalities, this translates into a further vicious assault on pensions. It would mean that the losses from the NUT pensions loss calculator – shocking enough for most teachers – are a significant underestimate of what is now threatened.
For now, if you manage to have pensionable work for 40 years, on the 1/80 accrual rate applying to most teachers, you can retire with 40/80 = half your final salary.
A switch to a career-average scheme on the same accrual rate would mean that you would only get a much lower career-average salary based pension in return. Figures given to the National Executive last year suggested that a career-average pension linked to CPI indexation might yield only around 60% of a final salary pension - a massive cut!
This could be offset by improving the accrual rate – so, for example, the civil service Nuvos scheme has an accrual rate of 1/43. Even this might not be good enough - figures given to the National Executive suggested a rate of 1/37 might be needed to avoid pension cuts.
This would have been the kind of approach that union negotiators would have been expecting - if not 1/37 or 1/43 perhaps at least 1/50 or 1/60 as a starting-point for negotiations on moving to career-averages. Instead, the Con-Dems want to make accrual rates worse, not better!
An accrual rate of 1/100 would be a double whammy of a lower career-average salary and a worse accrual rate. If 1/37 is needed to protect pensions under a career-average scheme, 1/100 would represent a pensions slaughter. Of course, they'll also be expecting us to work to 67 or 68 to get even this massively reduced pension!
Many teachers may not follow the technicalities but they certainly need to understand what it would mean - a further massive cut to the value of our pensions. It could mean pensions for future teachers being slashed to half of what we expect to retire with at present.
The Con-Dems are clearly out to smash public sector pensions. We are in for a serious struggle - and it is one that we have to win. But we can!
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/may/19/public-sector-pension-cuts-retirement
The key phrase in this leak is as follows:
"The models in the paper suggest that the [accrual rate] should rise to either one 80th, 90th or 100th, of the salary accrued for each year worked. It means some public sector workers would have to work ten years longer to get half of their average salary".
Hidden by technicalities, this translates into a further vicious assault on pensions. It would mean that the losses from the NUT pensions loss calculator – shocking enough for most teachers – are a significant underestimate of what is now threatened.
For now, if you manage to have pensionable work for 40 years, on the 1/80 accrual rate applying to most teachers, you can retire with 40/80 = half your final salary.
A switch to a career-average scheme on the same accrual rate would mean that you would only get a much lower career-average salary based pension in return. Figures given to the National Executive last year suggested that a career-average pension linked to CPI indexation might yield only around 60% of a final salary pension - a massive cut!
This could be offset by improving the accrual rate – so, for example, the civil service Nuvos scheme has an accrual rate of 1/43. Even this might not be good enough - figures given to the National Executive suggested a rate of 1/37 might be needed to avoid pension cuts.
This would have been the kind of approach that union negotiators would have been expecting - if not 1/37 or 1/43 perhaps at least 1/50 or 1/60 as a starting-point for negotiations on moving to career-averages. Instead, the Con-Dems want to make accrual rates worse, not better!
An accrual rate of 1/100 would be a double whammy of a lower career-average salary and a worse accrual rate. If 1/37 is needed to protect pensions under a career-average scheme, 1/100 would represent a pensions slaughter. Of course, they'll also be expecting us to work to 67 or 68 to get even this massively reduced pension!
Many teachers may not follow the technicalities but they certainly need to understand what it would mean - a further massive cut to the value of our pensions. It could mean pensions for future teachers being slashed to half of what we expect to retire with at present.
The Con-Dems are clearly out to smash public sector pensions. We are in for a serious struggle - and it is one that we have to win. But we can!
Wednesday, 18 May 2011
I've voted YES - have you?
I arrived home to find the ballot paper from Electoral Reform Services waiting for me!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)