Teachers at Shrewsbury school go on strike over pensions dispute
Shrewsbury High School is joining 22 other schools nationwide
Last updated 11th Feb 2022
Teachers at a school in Shrewsbury are joining a number of other private schools taking part in industrial action today.
In total, 23 schools worldwide are picketing today, including Shrewsbury High School, located on the Town Walls.
Education professionals are striking with the National Education Union in a dispute with the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST).
The dispute centres around pensions, as the GDST proposes to remove teaching staff from availing of the Teachers' Pension Scheme.
As a result, over 1,500 members of the National Education Union are expected to picket across the country, including at Shrewsbury High School.
This is the first time in the Trust's 149-year history that its staff members are to take industrial action, with another five days of strikes planned over the next month.
Speaking about the decision to strike, Kevin Courtney, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union said that teachers' pensions should be covered by the scheme.
“The Girls’ Day School Trust has no justification in its plan to slash the pensions of its teaching staff. This will be a disaster for staff, for future recruitment and for pupils," he said.
“Teachers always take strike action with a heavy heart, which is why this extraordinary mandate should give the Trust pause. Members are angry and determined to defend what is rightfully theirs.
"These are committed and hard-working staff who have been pushed to the point of taking action, the like of which the Girls’ Day School Trust has never seen. Teachers’ strength of feeling is unwavering."
Response from the Girls' Day School Trust
In a response to the industrial action taking place, GDST’s CEO Cheryl Giovannoni said they had been left in a precarious stance.
"Sadly, the increase to the TPS employer costs (Teachers’ Pension Scheme) has had a severe impact on our expenditure and has put us in a very difficult position. We understand the strength of feeling amongst our teachers over this issue and of course the concerns raised by our parents," she said.
"We care deeply about our teachers and would not have put forward these proposals unless we felt they were absolutely necessary to support the long-term sustainability of the GDST family of schools, enabling us to continue to provide an excellent and affordable independent education for our students, and at the same time ensuring teachers have a comfortable retirement."
Ms Giovannoni added that a new pension scheme was being discussed amongst the GDST, including a 20% contribution to teachers' pensions from employers, alongside other benefits. The GDST hope that this will be able to offer those who went on strike to reconsider.
"We know how much our teachers care about our students and many have wrestled with the decision to strike. We are disappointed that the NEU has called for strike action while GDST Trustees are still considering all feedback gathered during the collective consultation process," she added.
"When we opened consultation in September 2021, we confirmed that our Trustees would be making a final decision on how we would proceed in the final week of February. We have urged the NEU not to call for strike action prematurely, but they have chosen to carry on with strikes anyway."
Ms Giovannoni closed her statement by wishing for an agreement between the Trust and the National Education Union so that the dispute can be settled as soon as possible.