Commenting on the passing of motion 13 at Annual Conference in Harrogate, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said:
"The NEU recognises the value of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme (TPS) as a reward for our members’ hard work over a working lifetime – pensions are deferred pay. The NEU will not hesitate to defend our members where their TPS status is at risk, including industrial action if necessary. We encourage all eligible members to retain their TPS membership and reject fire and rehire or other measures to deny access to the scheme.
"The state pension is the cornerstone of most people’s retirement income. The triple lock should be protected as pensioners have a right to a retirement free from the scourge of poverty. The level of state pensions is particularly important to women owing to the gender pensions gap, which means women both live longer and have a higher chance of poverty in retirement. The NEU supports the WASPI campaign to defend women born in the 1950s."