Members of NASUWT-The Teachers’ Union at the Coventry School Foundation (Bablake Senior, Bablake Junior, King Henry VIII Senior and King Henry VIII Junior) are taking the first of nine planned days of strike action tomorrow (Thursday) over attempts by the employer to make teachers choose between their pension and their pay.

Teachers have been told they must make a choice between moving to an inferior pension scheme or remaining in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) but accepting an almost 12% pay cut.

Furthermore, teachers have been threatened with being fired and reemployed on new contracts if they do not voluntarily accept these changes.
  
Dr Patrick Roach, NASUWT General Secretary, said:

“The employer is trying to force teachers to choose between being worse off now or worse off in the future – an invidious choice.

“To make matters worse teachers are being bullied with the threat of fire and rehire tactics to try to intimidate them into accepting these changes.

“All our members want is to be valued, treated with respect and provided with fair and decent pay and pension arrangements which reflect the challenging and skilled work they do.”

Alan Jones, NASUWT National Executive Member for Coventry, said:

“This is now the third dispute we have had to open with the Foundation since 2021. Members do not want to have to repeatedly take strike action just to get the basic pay and conditions they have a right to expect and which will support the continued delivery of high-quality education to pupils.

“The employer needs to end this disruption by withdrawing these plans and agreeing to work constructively with us to address the current and longer term pay and pensions arrangements for our members.”