Teachers at a top girls' school in Wales have staged a third day of strike action in a row over pensions.
Around 60 teachers at Howell's School in Llandaff, Cardiff took part in the strike on Cardiff Road and the other entrances to the school on Wednesday, March 2 - the second of three days of action on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week following an initial strike last month.
Howell's School is part of the Girls' Day School Trust (GDST), a national organisation comprising 23 mainly single-sex independent schools in England and Wales. The GDST has proposed to withdraw from the Teachers Pension Scheme (TPS), which teachers at the 23 schols have objected to, saying they will lose out on vital pensions later in their careers.
The GDST has said it wants to withdraw from the TPS due to cost concerns, saying cost increases have "had a severe impact on our expenditure."
Around 60 teachers from Howell's braved the weather on Wednesday morning between 7am and 9.30am, gathering with picket signs along Cardiff Road and the other entrances to Howell's.
Speaking to WalesOnline Jenny Spratling, school union rep, said an offer had been put on the table for the school to stay in the pensions scheme and was currently being considered. She said the alleged 'fire and rehire' policy, which would have seen non-compliant staff potentially lose their jobs if they didn't accept the revised terms, was also no longer on the table.
"They've now put an offer on the table but it's still in negotiations because there are some elements that need more detail and information," she said, adding that teachers were "hopeful" that an agreement would be reached.
"This is the first time in 149 years that the teachers have gone on strike, and whilst we absolutely love where we work, we love our school, it's something that's very important to us. In our old age, your pension is what you live on.
"To us, pension is deferred pay, and we've got to make sure that we have the same guarantees you would in the state sector."
Ms Spratling said staying in the TSP would give teachers "the best possible outcome in retirement."
"The GDST has taken 'fire and rehire' off the table, which we really appreciate. We're now discussing the finer points of the offer they have put on the table.
"Our negotiating team is working really hard, they're having meetings almost every day, so we're very hopeful we'll be able to get back to work, back to my girls, as soon as possible."
Steven Allen, who teaches business and economics, said: "They are proposing to take us out of the pensions scheme and into an insurance-backed scheme, which will have nor have the same guarantees. I am going to lose nearly a quarter of a million from my pension if this happens.
"They've done it without really listening to us. GDST say they need to save money but they've got offices in London that cost over £100m. And they're looking to save £4m a year for pensions. You can imagine how expensive it is in London.
"Losing our pensions - that's our children, that's our future. I have a daughter whose education I'd obviously like to fund."
Fellow teacher Heidi Hyland, who has been at Howell's for eight years, added: "They wanted to tear up the contracts we came in on and get us to sign different contracts instead.
"I don't want anything more than before - I just want to be on the same terms I was on, that's all."
The GDST said on Wednesday it had tabled a revised offer giving its teachers the choice between continued membership of the TPS under favourable terms or joining the GDST Flexible Pension Plan.
Cheryl Giovannoni, CEO of the GDST, said: "The GDST is wholly disheartened that the NEU has refused to stand down strikes with this updated offer on the table. Every effort has been made to give teachers the choice to remain in the TPS and we cannot understand the NEU’s position not to work with us to bring teachers back to the classroom to support our students while discussions are ongoing.
“We know that there are teachers who will choose to join the GDST Flexible Pension Plan, and on that basis we believe it is important to keep it as an alternative to the TPS. The proposal as it now stands offers our teachers a clear choice, whilst supporting the long-term future of the GDST family of schools.
"We are all deeply committed to the education and well-being of our students, and we appreciate the key role our teachers play in that. We sincerely regret the impact this is having on everyone in all our schools - students, teachers, staff and parents. We are now appealing directly to teachers in the hope that they will accept this offer and the good faith that lies behind it; that they will choose to allow us to work with them to heal the rifts that have been created, and to restore confidence and trust in the organisation.”
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