ATL

ATL executive unanimously backed members' vote to ballot over changes to teachers' pensions

The ballot timetable will be decided in consultation with other teacher unions if they decide to ballot. 

A day of strike action, held jointly with other teacher unions, could take place towards the end of the summer term unless the Government negotiates in good faith. 

Further days of action could take place in the autumn term.

The ballot will be of ATL teachers, lecturers and head teachers working in state-funded and independent schools and colleges in England and Wales who are members or are eligible to be members of the Teachers' Pension Scheme.

Dr Mary Bousted, ATL general secretary, said:  "We will not ask members to do anything to upset this summer's exams.  But ATL members are very angry – and it takes a lot to get them this angry.  They do not accept the Government's view that the TPS needs to be reformed.  The Government still has not carried out a proper valuation of the TPS, so there is no evidence that changes are needed.  Striking is the last thing that ATL members will want to do.  We hope the Government ends its intransigence and rethinks its proposals."

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) is an independent, registered trade union and professional association, representing approximately 160,000 teachers, headteachers, lecturers and support staff in maintained and independent nurseries, schools, sixth form, tertiary and further education colleges in the United Kingdom.

2. ATL exists to help members, as their careers develop, through first rate research, advice, information and legal advice.

3. ATL is affiliated to the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), European Trade Union Committee for Education (ETUCE) and Education International (EI). ATL is not affiliated to any political party and seeks to work constructively with all the main political parties.