Teacher strikes end with GDST pension offer accepted

The GDST has rejigged plans to withdraw all staff from the Teachers’ Pension Scheme

Hope William-Smith
clock • 3 min read

National Education Union (NEU) teacher members in the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) have ended industrial action over pension disputes after accepting a new plan which will give them more choice about enrolment in the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS).

More than 1,500 teachers employed at the 23 independent schools that form the majority of the GDST charity were on strike throughout February and March over planned pension changes that the NEU estimated would see retirement income cuts of up to 20%. The GDST had previously argued it was unsustainable to keep its teachers enrolled in the TPS after the government imposed a 43% increase in contributions in 2019 which subsequently drove its annual pension costs to £6m. A new deal first outlined earlier this month was, however, confirmed yesterday (17 March) allowing teachers to choose th...

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