Teachers to strike - 30 June

[meditrina]

breaking now on SKY

Overwhelming vote by 2 teachers' unions (92%)

That is not unique to the private sector niceguy. plenty of people in the public sector are underpaid or have a crap salary. It really isn't that black and white.

grockle, hang in there. I know what you mean.

Here we go again - the view that if you work in the private sector you don't ever get defined benefits with your pension scheme. It's just not true. There are private sector pension schemes that offer the same as many public sector pensions.

Final Salary pension schemes in the public sector were closed to new entrants about 10 years ago - this is about taking away earned entitlement from existing staff and it stinks.

But lets just have the same old 'I don't get it so why should you' thread!! The politics of envy.

I work for the council as a Community Occupational Therapist. I earn £10k per year part time. This year we all lost our £1000 in lump sum car allowance and now will be paid mileage only. I still have to use my own car to visit people or I would lose my job.

We didn't go on strike, we didn't moan, we are all dedicated workers who would prefer to have elderly and disabled people looked after properly or risk losing our jobs altogether. State teachers do a great job but as the population ages and care costs become greater so does the burden on local councils. There are people much worse off than teachers who really need basic support, care and equipment so that is the reality that councils face and therefore I don't support the strike.

This is something I just don't get. Why the private sector v public sector antipathy? What are you talking about? A top civil servant's salary is more than a taxi driver's, I imagine. A street cleaner probably earns less than the managing director of an advertising agency. All of these people are equally vital to the economy and to our lives. So why all the in-fighting?

We should be focussing our anger where it belongs - on the greedy people everywhere who have brought about this situation, especially those of them that are in the government and/or ripping off the rest of us.

Here here, Mellow!

Ohfuck off. Defintely not politics of envy jit show can I feed my children.

Exactly Mellow. You've said what I was thinking, but much better. We need all these jobs, we are like a great big web. When you change one bit, you affect another. Between us, H and I will probably have to cut back £200 a month. That is going to affect local businesses near me such as cafe's, gift shops, because i will be paying extra into my pension instead. If teachers don't do their job, others can't go to work. So hoping everyone is reduced to the lowest possible level of pay and conditions does no one any favours.

besidemyself - in the article posted at the start it says 'Lord Hutton stressed that pensions earned so far should retain their link with final salaries'. so it sounds as if the pension already earnt will not be affected, just the future one.

anywhere I've read the private sector pensions seem worse than public sector ones - i'm lucky to have a private sector one and we recently agreed to work longer, take career averages and pay more and i feel lucky nevertheless.

i would have no problem with others getting something better than me, if i didn't have to pay extra for it. but thats not the case here is it. Private sector employees have had to accept that the public doesn't want to pay extra for their goods and services to fund pensions - i guess its the public sector's turn now. try to see how this looks to someone who's struggling to survive financially, has been stripped of their own final salary scheme altogether and knows they are paying for gold plated pension provision for someone else.

I don;t think it is about politics of envy, people are just struggling to make ends meet. Most teachers are not struggling to make ends meet and therefore it is difficult to feel empathy for us.

I am still indecided if I will strike. I have decided that if my pension is dramatically affected I will leave teaching within the next five years. I simply cannot afford to pay extra into my pension and will have to consider withdrawing from the scheme. Teaching requires me to put in very long hours and family time during term time is minimal, I was able to justify that to my family because I was the one securing our retirement. I will not be able to do that if these changes take place.

I do not want to affect children's education but I have the right to decide that I do not want the new terms and conditions on offer.

Is this retirement age raise aimed at everyone? Private and public? Im wondering how 68 year old midwives will fare.
Mind you, the way things are going everything will be privatised. Schools included. They will be turned into academies first, then sold off. Unions will be discoiraged and strikers sacked. This and crap pensims isnt just a teachers thing sadly :(

Scuse typing. Sausage fingers and teeny phone keyboard

riven - guess much the same as a 68 who has to climb up telegraph poles, or farm, or work on a boat or in a factory.....

I fear you are right, Riven. Scary times ahead for us all.

If I am in a classroom at 68 being generally shit, your children will suffer.

I don't really have an issue with working after 60, doing something linked with education but I very seriously doubt I will be able to do my job in the classroom well at 68.

My MIL is 69 and a retired teacher. She cli bs miuntains and runs marathons. Sheis only retired because she was forced too. I dont have a problem with older teachers myself.

Mind you, she has a stonking pension and goes on endless holidays now. Something her son will never acheive. I think that holds for many baby boomers. Cheap hoousing, good pensions etc
It will not come again :(

By all means if they are able to carry on please let them. I don't teach in a particularly challenging school but our staff tend to be ready to go about 60.

I very much doubt I will be able to work a minumum of 15 hours a day as I approach 70.

I will not have a stonking pension. I have a remarkably shit pension at the moment because I took a break due to illness. I did not want to take sick pay so I left teaching altogether. I then took a few years out to have children and then worked part time for a few years. I am not saying that is anyone's fault other than my own but that is how it is for me. Financially there is little to keep me in teaching.

I do not earn enough to buy a house so I will be paying full rent on my rather mediocre pension. My dp does not have a pension to speak of, we have very recently been able to unfreeze it but I am not sure how long we can pay into it.

To be honest once my dd has left home I am going to fuck off in a campervan and do odd jobs to pay my way. There seems little point in doing anything else.

Are private schools striking too? Govt Ministers wont notice unless they join in
serioisly though, given the divide aand conquor and how its worked so well, any strikers will be pilloried after two days and striking just wont work. To be honest i no longer see what can work. I watched the Govt pass the awful welfare reform bill today after not listening to any of the myriad organisations saying this will plunge people into poverty. I cant see them caring over public sector strikes any more.
Its allvery depressing

Totally agree twinkly

I intend to strike. Just wondering how many of the above posters would sit back and let it happen to them if it was their profession?

Sadly, most of us have it tough at the moment. Surely, based on that, we should stand as a nation and be supportive of any group of people who are just standing up for their monetary rights?

Oh well- as I 'only work for 2/3 of the year, 9-5 five days a week' I should just quit complaining and get another job...

I think the government could get away with an awful lot while they keep people busy bitching about teachers.

Im a Carer. I woild love to go on strike as 17p an hour is a leetle shit. Ive not sseen a lot of support for our plight even as i support public sector workers and will join the rally thursday 30th.