I’m fortunate to have a little bit of knowledge about this. Apologies if this is egg sucking for anyone, the below is 90% research and reading and 10% supposition.
The deal mentioned above by @StarshipNCC1701 is correct, as is the statement about how bad the deal is. Don’t forget though that according to the school the DC scheme is "comparable" and I’d like to see that fully defined by the school as the calcs I’ve worked through show an approx. £6k to £15k reduction in pension for an average DAS teacher (not being unkind, but most of the DAS teachers are seasoned professionals rather than newly qualified) should they sign up to it. Using the profile of a younger member of staff the forecast was for circa £25k less per year.
The reason that the school isn’t giving out info is that they really don’t know what to do as I think they just thought it would be a breeze to get this through, without realising that teachers, by the very nature of their profession, tend to be “quite” clever, especially with things like economics and maths.
Staff were given the option of signing up to the bloody awful DC pension scheme and I think it’s safe to say that from the numbers of striking teachers those that did were in a small minority.
I believe that option is still open but before going to fire and rehire, by law, there have to be consultation meetings held, where staff get to air their views and ask questions, these will be no doubt be ongoing now. From the Union comment about lack of information from the school, whether answers to questions will be given is yet to be seen.
From the dates I’ve been able to work out the descision to fire and rehire will probably have to be made by governors either late this week or early next week after all of the meetings have taken place and staff have fed back their views to the Governing body. This estimated timescale is based on the fact that any new contract have to be issued to staff before the end of term.
This is also the time when the governors can A) back down B) offer better terms or C) forge ahead with fire and rehire
A) is self explanatory – this all ends and everyone goes back to being relatively friendly, although the friendly bit is probably totally untrue as any trust in the Governors will have been obliterated.
B) opens up negotiations, something that I understand has been a little lacking on the part of the school but the timescale, if this fails, to go to option C) is very short. I have no doubt that the unions will be on the end of a phone waiting for a call to go in – whether that call comes is another thing all together. Or if it does come and the revised offer is still removal from TPS then it’s doubtful it will be accepted.
C) is where it gets interesting. As of the end of the spring term any staff who have not signed up to the “bloody awful DC pension scheme” and have been issued a new fire and rehire contract are on a terms notice. That means that they have 3 options, they can either: sign the new contract under the new terms of the “bloody awful……..(you get my drift); return to the school in September and work under protest (usually a precursor to an employment tribunal case); or just simply don’t return. The last one might sound drastic but don’t forget the school has issued a contractually binding terms notice to end the previous contract. So unless they sign a new contract they have no job and they don’t have to say if they are returning or not.
So if your child returns to DAS in September to find the front of the classroom empty you’ll know what has happened.
Resignations – yes. 7 so far I understand.
Actively searching for jobs outside DAS – yes, as confirmed on MN by a teacher at another NE independent school.
Looking to not return (as mentioned in option C) and chance their hand at career break, other jobs or to retire – probably yes.
With the strength of feeling that was running through the staff that were out on the picket lines yesterday the governors seem to be playing Russian roulette but with a bullet in 5 out of 6 chambers.
Don’t forget the teachers’ pension reduction proposal is being pushed through while there is a planning application in for a new development – would you want your benefits package to be reduced to pay for a new sports field?? Even the local community are supporting the teachers as they don’t want the new sports facility either!!