IMMEDIATE25 October 2011

HIGH COURT ASKED TO PROTECT ORDINARY WORKERS FROM BLEAK AND UNCERTAIN FUTURE

The NASUWT, the largest teachers’ union, will be in the High Court today, mounting a legal challenge against the Government’s unilateral decision to change the way in which pensions are calculated. The Union successfully secured a judicial review of the Coalition Government’s imposed change from Retail Prices Index (RPI) to the Consumer Prices Index (CPI) which has reduced the value of an individual teacher’s pension by thousands of pounds. The NASUWT is the only teaching union to fight the change in the courts and is mounting the legal challenge with the PCS, FBU, POA, UNITE and UNISON. The hearing starts today and is set to last until 27 October. A decision is expected to follow shortly afterwards. CPI is generally lower than RPI and so changing the way pensions are calculated will leave many thousands of teachers worse off. The change, announced by the Coalition Government without consultation or negotiation, affects millions of workers and has also cut the value of the Pension Protection Fund, the State Second Pension and cut the Basic State Pension, hitting workers in the private sector as well. The attack on pensions is just one element of the relentless attacks being mounted by this Government on the pay, jobs and working conditions of teachers and other working people. Chris Keates, NASUWT General Secretary said: “The NASUWT was determined to explore every avenue available to us in seeking to defend teachers’ pensions from the unjustified attacks by the Government. “We were very pleased that the courts granted our application for judicial

review. “The question the High Court is now being asked to answer is whether it is just and fair to arbitrarily change the basis on which pensions are calculated, reducing their value by thousands of pounds. “For a teacher on a pension of £10,000, this change will result in a loss of pension of at least £2,000 per year. “The Coalition Government’s actions are a breach of the contract it has with ordinary working people. “We are looking to the High Court to make sure that teachers and millions of other ordinary workers will not be left facing a bleak and uncertain future.”

ENDS

    Notes to Editors  Chris Keates General Secretary will be at the Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, London WC2A 2LL on Tuesday 25 October prior to the start of the hearing at 10.30 The NASUWT has lodged a formal trade dispute with the Secretary of State for Education on a range of issues affecting teachers, including pensions and is currently in the process of balloting its members for industrial action. The NASUWT has also lodged a trade dispute with the Treasury on the issue of the proposed changes to teachers pensions.