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ATL Scotland
On Wednesday 25 April 2012, ATL attended the initial meeting of the Scottish Teachers Pension Scheme Negotiating Group alongside other unions, sector stakeholders and civil servants.
The group will be a short-life group set-up to consider scheme design for a new Scottish Teachers' Pension Scheme.
The Scottish Government confirmed it is the Cabinet Secretary for Education's intention that the negotiations must centre on a new scheme, designed within the cost ceiling set by the Treasury Department and must be a career average scheme. The Scottish Government hopes to move forward on a consensual basis based upon open negotiations. The unions said they would negotiate in good faith but reserved the right not to sign up from the outset for a new scheme design as outlined.
After agreeing its remit the group also agreed to convene a sub-group to look at some of the work required for a scheme design in detail and report back to the negotiating group. The issue of the ongoing employee contribution rate rises will also be added to the remit of the group; without deflecting from the focus of the negotiating group.
We are awaiting a date for the next meeting of the negotiating group and will keep members informed as the work of the negotiating group develops.
SSTA industrial action
The Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA) recently held a ballot of its members on taking action short of strike action. Following a 'yes' result SSTA members will be working to contract as of Monday 14 May.
ATL has not balloted its members and you should continue to work as normal. We would however recommend that you do not undertake any duties which in any way could undermine the legal right of SSTA members to work to contract.
If you have any questions then please contact the ATL Scotland office on 0131 272 2748.
Background
ATL has accepted the government's final offer for the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) in England and Wales as the best deal that can be achieved through negotiation.
ATL's acceptance comes after talks on the finer details of the new scheme and a members' poll where 91.6% of respondents supported the deal, which is significantly better than the government's original offer. For details, see:
While the Scottish Government has yet to table its proposals for the Scottish Teachers' Superannuation Scheme (STSS) it is seeking long-term reform and will publish details of its proposals shortly.
STSS employee contribution rate increase 2012/13
Following the recent consultation, the STSS employee contribution rates for 2012/13 will be:
| Full time equivalent pensionable pay | Contribution rate 2012/13 | Contribution rate increase in 2012/13 |
|---|---|---|
| Below £15,000 | 6.4% | 0% |
| £15,000 to £25,999 | 7.0% | 0.6% |
| £26,000 to £31,999 | 7.3% | 0.9% |
| £32,000 to £39,999 | 7.6% | 1.2% |
| £40,000 to £74,999 | 8.0% | 1.6% |
| £75,000 to £111,999 | 8.4% | 2.0% |
| £112,000 and above | 8.8% | 2.4% |
For more details, download the STSS circular here.
'My pension' online service
SPPA have now launched "My Pension - Online Member Services" for members of the Scottish Teachers' Superannuation Scheme. This is a secure area accessed via the 'teachers' page on the SPPA website, where members can:
view their 2011 (and subsequent) pension benefit statements online
use the online calculators to estimate their pension and lump sum options
contact SPPA online with any pension or benefit statement queries.