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FEATURE


Months of relentless cuts and reform

Teachers are facing attacks on all aspects of their working lives.


• Two-year pay freeze to begin from September 2011, which, given rises in VAT, National Insurance and the cost of living, amounts to a pay cut.
• Pension changes – proposals to increase contributions, raise the retirement age and end final salary schemes.
• Reducing the value of pensions of serving and retired teachers by deciding to change the indexing from RPI to CPI.
• Deep cuts to school budgets, causing job loss and job insecurity.
• Weakening and undermining the national pay and conditions framework and entitlements.
• Excessive workload and working hours.
• Cutting the pay of supply teachers – making them second class.
• Removing lifetime salary conservation (safeguarding).
• Changing annual leave entitlements for workers returning from maternity leave.
• Increasing contact time for probationer teachers.
• Reviewing the McCrone Agreement on pay and conditions of service.
• Major curriculum change – through the Curriculum for Excellence.
• Punitive accountabilty measures.