Elect Martin Powell-Davies: 

Defending Teachers, Defending Education

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Programme for teachers

Your pension or your health? 

Build a united trade union campaign

Our pensions are our right. They are part of the wages that we have earned over many years – years of stressful work that have left many teachers desperately waiting for retirement.

But the threatened changes mean that, in future, teachers will be faced with an impossible choice between their health and their pension. Many will be forced to work on until they are 65 to be able to afford to retire. This is the thanks we get for keeping underfunded schools going.

We have to fight as hard to oppose these threats to our pension as we would any salary cut. Neither must we let the Government "divide-and-rule" by their attempt to phase-in changes so that older teachers are less seriously affected. We must also campaign for the reversal of the changes to the pension scheme that have made early retirement so hard to obtain.

Taking a stand as a Trade Union

As General Secretary, Martin Powell- Davies would make sure the NUT took its place alongside unions like the PCS, the Civil Servants’ Union, who also have a new leadership standing for change.

At the initiative of the PCS, the Trades Union Congress agreed to a national day of action to oppose the threats to pensions. In response, the TUC have now called a national demonstration on Saturday 19th June.

Left to the TUC leaders, this will be nothing like the day of action we need. But, built by Local Associations, this can help to build united activity between NUT members and fellow trade unionists over pensions. It can be a platform for the joint union struggle that Martin would work for if elected.

TUC Pensions Demonstration

Saturday 19th June

March to Rally in Trafalgar Square

Click here for TUC leaflet pdf

A mood for action over Pensions

Martin’s stand in the General Secretary campaign has already helped sharpen debate within the Union over the way forward for teachers. Not surprisingly, the issue of pensions has been high on members’ priorities in the hustings meetings that have been held so far.

Perhaps the largest meeting of all was held in Bolton where 67 NUT members attended. They voted unanimously to conduct an indicative ballot to see if there was support for strike action on this issue. This is one example of how a mood can develop to take the industrial action agreed by Conference in 2003.

NUT Associations have already started to strengthen links with other unions as part of the joint pensions campaign. As General Secretary, Martin Powell- Davies would encourage this unity, at both a national and local level, in order to build the kind of united action that has already been taken by trade unionists in France and Austria against similar threats.

email martin@electmartin.org.uk

See this in pdf leaflet format (1/2 Mb file)


PAY UP FOR PENSIONS

TUC MARCH AND RALLY

London, Saturday 19 June
Assemble from 12 noon
Temple Tube, Embankment
March 1pm
Rally 2pm Trafalgar Square

Show your support for a better pensions deal for all!

Click here for TUC leaflet pdf