Members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers have today called for a ballot on strike action to try and protect their pensions.
An overwhelming number of delegates at the ATL conference in Liverpool this morning agreed that the ATL executive committee should decide to go to ballot on strike action in a meeting scheduled for today because of the changes expected to public sector pensions (PP Online 10 March).
If a strike goes ahead it will be the first time the ATL has taken industrial action since 1979 when teachers staged a sit in over pay and conditions.
An ATL spokeswoman said the executive will meet at 2pm today and a final decision on whether the ATL will go to ballot is expected at about 3.30pm.
She added: "As far as I am aware all but two members voted in favour of a ballot on striking so it was unanimously voted for as a show of strength and unity.
"ATL has not taken a formal ballot to strike since 1979 so it is pretty big in terms of what we are doing in terms of our members - we are not a union that goes out on strike often, so it is a big thing."
The ATL has long campaigned that the Teachers' Pension Scheme and Local Government Pension Scheme should remain final salary schemes. It believes changes to pensions will mean teachers will have to work longer and get less at retirement.
It has said Lord Hutton's proposal to end final salary schemes and implement career average schemes will significantly reduce the benefits of leaders, teachers and support staff in retirement and will impact the low paid hardest, typically women and part-time employees.
Addressing the conference yesterday, ATL president Andy Brown said: "They tell us that our pensions schemes are unsustainable, yet they haven't even valued them. They just know that by attacking public sector pensions, they can wipe a large chunk off the national deficit."
Pinsent Masons head of public sector pensions John Hanratty said: "It serves to remind us that, while much of the political focus and commentary on pension reform in the public sector has been on cost and the deficit, there are real people affected by the changes."
