Commenting on research by the Education Policy Institute suggesting teacher pay increases could be made at the expense of reduced pensions, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said;
“The money to pay teachers properly must come from additional Government investment in our education service, not teachers sacrificing retirement benefits which would make the teaching profession less not more attractive.
‘What is needed is a major pay correction to reverse the real terms cuts to teacher pay of around a fifth since 2010, starting with a fully funded above inflation pay rise this year.
“Pension provision, while often not considered when younger, is very important to ensure a retirement free from poverty and a reasonable standard of living. It should be encouraged, not discouraged to offset poor pay increases”.