Lewisham Labour Council supporting Aske's Free School?

A leaflet distributed around Telegraph Hill today confirms the news, as reported in this blog as news broke on Friday, that Haberdashers' Aske's is planning to open a new two-form entry primary Free School in September 2013.

The Federation is clearly pursuing its motto of 'serve and obey' to follow Government policy in favour of using privatised unaccountable Free Schools as a weapon to divide and dismantle Local Authority education. (See http://electmartin1.blogspot.com/2011/09/free-schools-freedom-to-privatise.html for an explanation of what Free Schools really mean.)

Disgracefully, the leaflet claims that the plans have "the support of the Lewisham Local Authority". Is this true? Local councillors (update: but see comment from Paul Bell below), Mayor Bullock and Joan Ruddock MP have some urgent explaining to do - surely they aren't happy to see local education privatised?

Yes, there is a real shortage of primary places - unions have been warning councillors of that for years (but they still decided to close Lewisham Bridge School of course ...) - but turning to Free Schools as an answer is a dangerous acceptance of privatisation - and a slap in the face to staff and governors working so hard at other local schools. 

What will this mean in reality? Aske's will get what they've always wanted - a primary school with a catchment area taking in the leafiest parts of Telegraph Hill. The sibling-preferential admissions will help ensure that they can keep their skewed intake at both primary and secondary-ages. But other local primary schools will suffer as a scramble for places and a widening divide emerges in local education. Education as a whole and, in particular, working-class families and students, will be the losers.

Lewisham NUT has consistently warned that allowing Haberdasher's Aske's to expand its Academy empire could undermine local comprehensive education. But now it is taking the next step of setting up Free Schools as well. If this plan succeeds, it could open the door to even more.

Lewisham NUT calls on everyone who wants to defend education and equalities in the borough to get in touch so we can work together to oppose this dangerous proposal.

Reject the deal - we CAN defeat this robbery

Today, at the Conference hosted by PCS Left Unity in Euston, trade unionists determined to fight the pensions robbery are meeting to restate our determination to defeat these attacks and organise to win.

Packed full and determined to fight pensions robbery

How can we accept a 'deal' that still means we pay more, get less and retire older?

For most of us, it certainly means 'retire older'. I've been teaching for 25 years but, under the terms of the Government's proposed ‘deal’, like many colleagues, I would only be a little over halfway through my teaching career!
 
The deal - an accrual rate of 1/57 in a career-average scheme - would certainly mean 'get less'. Compare that accrual rate to the much-better 1/43 rate in the civil service Nuvos scheme – it means pensions robbery. 

The Education 'Heads of Agreement' doesn't just mean we pay more - for me over £120 a month more by 2014 - but that the employers pay less. Their contributions would go down to 12.1%! 

No wonder Danny Alexander bragged in Parliament that he’d got the deal he wanted and that it made services “substantially more affordable to private providers” - those private profiteers ready to take on even more of our public services to run for their profits, not people's interests.

So we have to reject the deal – and if we are rejecting it, then have to fight.

Today's conference will call on the TUC to call a further day of action - but, if they don't, then the cross-union committee also being proposed from today's meeting must meet and propose plans for co-ordinated action across those many unions that are prepared to fight.

We CAN defeat this Government’s pensions robbery - and we MUST. 

Teaching Unions Refuse Pensions Deal

As the BBC News reported tonight, both the NUT and NASUWT have confirmed that we are refusing to sign-up to the Pensions 'Heads of Agreement'.

Kevin Courtney, Deputy General Secretary of the NUT told the BBC that "We have a meeting of our executive committee next week, which will look at how to take the campaign forward, including a consideration of industrial action."

Report on: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16442607

The Officers' Report going to next week's NUT Executive recommends:

 “a) that the Union cannot agree to the “heads of agreement” document because there has been no movement on any of the key areas the union has identified:
- Normal pension age in the scheme will rise to 68 and even higher. (Teachers who leave before that age will face substantial reductions in their pension entitlements)
- Contributions will increase by 50%
- The change to CPI will remove a further 15% of scheme value
- The introduction of career averaging will lead to further cuts in pension value for a big majority of teachers.
- There has been no movement on the cost ceiling.
- It contains no reassurances that teachers in Independent schools will continue to have access to the pension scheme.

“b) that the Union seek a meeting with Michael Gove and other willing unions in particular to press on the contributions and the age of retirement in particular.

“c) that the Union appeal against the high court ruling on CPI/RPI

“d) that the Union immediately begin to enact the other points from the decisions of the December executive – polling members via email on their view of the Government offer – following materials from the Union indicating that the Union’s position is that it does not go anywhere near far enough.

“e) that the Union urgently write to school reps informing them of the details of the offer – and the other points in these recommendations and urging them to call school meetings to discuss it and ask members to respond to the NUT on-line survey.

“f) that the Union start preparations for a ballot for non-strike sanctions and that this be on a wider basis than pensions alone – including workload and the threats to worsen the performance management arrangements.

“g) that the Union propose to other unions a joint program of publicity and action to continue to campaign for improvements in the pension including by putting forward a petition on the Government website calling for teachers and other public sector workers not to be expected to work to 68 years.

“h) that the Union continue to work with the NPC, public sector and private sector unions and through both the PSLG and TUCG to develop the campaign around fair pensions for all.

“i) that the Union continue to meet with other unions that have not signed up to the heads of agreement to discuss the possibilities of joint campaigning and possible further strike and non-strike action.

“j) that a divisional secretaries meeting be held on 2nd February to discuss the developments in the pensions campaign and the campaign around performance management and other workload issues

Now Aske's are planning to open free school

It was no surprise that Michael Gove chose Haberdasher's Aske's in Lewisham to give his speech on Wednesday falsely proclaiming the advantages of Academies - while boring his auidence literally to sleep: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qQL5L31-1E

As Christine Blower said in response:
“The Secretary of State's assertion that the opponents of the Government's forced academy programme are "happy with failure" is an insult to all the hard-working and dedicated teachers, school leaders, support staff and governors in our schools"

But his visit has been followed by news today that Aske's are - amongst other expansion plans - apparently planning to expand their empire further by opening a two-form entry primary 'free school' in 2013. This will undermine exactly those hard-working local schools as Aske's continue to use their separate arrangements to distort local admissions and undermine comprehensive education.

Lewisham NUT will be woking with local parents and schools to oppose this threat.

Pensions 'offer' rejected by Unite

http://www.unitetheunion.org/news__events/latest_news/unite_unanimously_rejects_nhs.aspx

The government’s latest proposals on NHS pension ‘reform’ - the ‘Heads of Agreement’ document - were unanimously rejected by Unite, the largest union in the country, today.

Unite’s health sector national industrial committee (HSNIC) rejected the ‘Heads of Agreement’ as a basis for a satisfactory outcome.

Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: ”Our NHS executive unanimously rejects the government’s pernicious attempts to make hard working and dedicated NHS staff pay more, work longer and get less when they retire.

”The government’s attacks on public sector pensions are politically motivated, as part of an overall design to privatise the NHS, cut public services, break-up the national pay agreements, and disrupt legitimate trade union activities and organisation.

”Unite believes it is important to continue a campaign to maintain a fair and equitable system of public sector pensions and calls on ministers to enter into real, genuine and meaningful negotiations on the future of NHS pensions and public sector pensions.”

Unite’s concerns centre on three areas:

• A high proportion of NHS staff will see their pension contributions jump from the current 6.5 per cent to 9.3 per cent by 2014/15, and other staff will see their contributions leap by nearly 50 per cent, with some paying 14.5 per cent of their salary into their pensions.
• The linking of the NHS retirement age to the ever-increasing age that people will receive their state pensions. The state retirement age is set to rise to 66 in 2020 and 67 by 2026, with the prospect of working even longer in future decades. Unite is concerned that, for example, paramedics and nurses could be doing heavy lifting into their late 60s.
• The proposed accrual rate for NHS staff is worse than the planned rates for other public sector schemes. Because this will be based on career average earnings, it will hit women who had taken career breaks to raise their children hardest.

The Unite HSNIC is due to meet again on 11 January to formulate future strategy. Unite has 100,000 members in the health service.

From the BBC website:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-16431284

The Unite union has rejected the government's latest offer on public sector pensions for NHS workers.

The union's health sector committee called on ministers to enter "genuine and meaningful" negotiations on the future of pensions.

The union, which has 100,000 members in the NHS, will meet again on 11 January to decide what action to take next.

The government updated an offer for NHS workers in December, but stressed that it was its final offer.

A number of unions are meeting in the coming days to consider the proposed deal.

Unite's health sector national industrial committee unanimously rejected the offer.

It said that its concerns included the prospect of nurses and paramedics doing heavy lifting into their late 60s, as well as career average pensions affecting staff who took career breaks to raise children.

"Our NHS executive unanimously rejects the government's pernicious attempts to make hard working and dedicated NHS staff pay more, work longer and get less when they retire," said Unite general secretary Len McCluskey.

"Unite believes it is important to continue a campaign to maintain a fair and equitable system of public sector pensions and calls on ministers to enter into real, genuine and meaningful negotiations on the future of NHS pensions and public sector pensions."

The move follows a decision by the British Medical Association (BMA) to survey around 130,000 doctors and medical students on the government's final offer.

The BMA said it would seek the views of its members on whether the proposed deal was acceptable, and if not, what action they would be prepared to take. The BMA said a formal ballot on industrial action - its first for more than 30 years - could follow.

Lewisham Council plans threaten teachers and education

Yesterday, Lewisham Council opened a four-week consultation which threatens the future employment of around hundred staff - and also threatens the education of the youngsters they support, youngsters with special needs who will deal particularly badly with change and disruption to their education.

The staff work at Meadowgate and Pendragon Special Schools and in the Communication and Interaction Outreach (CIT) Team based at Kaleidoscope in Catford. They have been told that they will have to go through a competitive interview process to secure future work from September - but will lose their jobs if unsuccessful.

This threat stems from the decision of the Council's Special Needs Review back in 2007 to close Meadowgate and Pendragon Schools and open a new school for students with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD)  - to be called Drumbeat. However, staff always understood that that most of them would transfer employment to the new school. After all, they already have the skills, experience and knowledge of supporting these individual students.

Staff and unions have been asking for years for clarification as to how the transition from Meadowgate and Pendragon schools to Drumbeat would be handled. Now, to our shock and anger, we find at the last minute that the Council is refusing to guarantee continuing employment to staff but plans to put the jobs in the new school out to external advert at the same time as existing staff have to apply for posts. This is a clear threat to staff that they are not wanted in the new school. 

Students will also be disturbed to find that the staff that they have built up a relationship with may no longer be supporting and teaching them in September. In particular, staff and unions are concerned about students at Pendragon School who are presently studying for qualifications as it is unclear how the Council plans to teach these courses from September. Some families may be advised to seek a place in a mainstream school - but it is far from clear where places suitable for these youngsters can be found.

We are particularly concerned to find that, although the new Drumbeat will be catering for similar numbers of students as in the two existing schools, staff numbers are to be cut. The new school is intended to support students with even greater needs yet the Council plans to cut the budget compared to the existing schools. Is this the high-quality education that parents were promised in the Special Needs Review ?

The staff in the CIT have even more reason to be angry. As recently as last year, Council papers were clearly talking about the team '"transferring" to Drumbeat - with no suggestion that they would have to reapply for their posts. Now they face a period of unnecessary insecurity - along with the schools and students that they support.

Lewisham NUT - along with other staff unions - is strongly opposing this threat to teachers and education. There is no justification for treating staff and students in this way. We will be meeting with Council Officers on Friday and demanding that they rethink their plans. If they do not, then we will be mounting a strong campaign to defend staff and students from these plans.

Total Cost of the Government's Attack on Teachers' Pensions

Steve Cushion, of the London Retired Members’ Branch of the UCU has circulated the following calculations to outline how badly we would be hit if unions accepted the Government's 'offer':

If we were to accept the government's latest offer on "reform" of the Teachers' Pension Scheme, the average scheme member would be £93,000 worse off, while a teacher with 40 years service would be nearly £200,000 out of pocket.

The increased contribution from 6.4% to 9.6%, an average annual contribution increase of £1239, would leave the average teacher £18,500 worse off after 15 years of service. Meanwhile the employers' contribution remains capped at 14%. The maximum contributory service of 40 years would result in increased contributions of £50,000.

As a result of the proposed increase in normal pension age from 65 to 68, the average member would lose three years pension at £11,759 per year. This would leave a lecturer retiring after the average service of 15 years £35,000 worse off, while one retiring after the maximum pensionable service of 40 years would be £90,000 worse off.

As a result of the proposed change from Final Salary to Career Average (CARE), a lecturer retiring after the average service of 15 years would be £22,000 worse off, while one retiring after the maximum pensionable service of 40 years would be £3,000 worse off . This proposal is based on adding together 1/57th of each years' actual salary, enhanced by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) with an additional 1.6% as opposed to the current system of taking 1/60th of the final salary. It does not affect very long service members as badly as those under 30 year's service, but everyone loses.

It is perfectly possible to negotiate a CARE scheme that does not result in members losing money, it all depends on the accrual rate. In order to achieve the current average pension of £11,759, based on the current average salary of £38,737 after 15 years of service, the accrual factor would have to be at least 1/50.

The change from RPI to CPI in the calculation of the indexation of pensions is not compensated the addition of 1.6% to CPI. This leaves all pensioners, including current pensioners worse off. Thus the average lecturer retiring after 15 years' service would be £18,500 worse off, while one retiring after the maximum pensionable service of 40 years would be £54,650 worse off. This applies to current as well as future pensioners and so retired members should be included in any ballot on acceptance or rejection of the government's so-called reforms.

The full calculations are available at

http://www.ucu-retired-london.org.uk/pdf/pension-report.pdf

"Any increase in contributions from members will not aid their retirement; they will raise funds for the Treasury. This is simply a tax on public sector workers".